Secret Weapon
by Dark Empress V
Summary: Oliver Queen is in deep trouble because of Cayden James and knows of only one person who could really help him. AU of season 6, after ep 11, AU elements of season 5. Spoilers!
1. Crisis

Secret Weapon

Chapter 1: Crisis.

Author's note: So this is an AU happening somewhere around ep 11 of season 6 of Arrow, involving season 5 and centered around a certain someone... well, haha, those who know me will guess who it is, but I'm not going to throw around blatant spoilers just yet, it will all become clear in the story :p (Although I'm a sucker for spoilers and tempted to tell ya.)

Let me rein myself in enough to just say this AU story is me fixing what in my opinion both writers and producers of Arrow have done wrong this season.

Warnings: Angst

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 _Oliver's mayoral office, January 2018._

Oliver had paced the length of his office for so long he thought he might have actually worn a groove in the floor. He was stressed, exhausted, frustrated, and most of all, even though he hated to admit it: he was scared.

Everything was going to hell and he did not know how to fix it. He felt tempted to make another List, although, this time, it would not be one containing the names of people he needed to kill, but a list of what was wrong with his life.

He was under indictment as mayor.

His loved ones were being threatened by Cayden James, a man driven by an unjustified vendetta against him, a man who'd also put the entire city under siege and killed dozens already, planned to kill thousands more, all because he thought Oliver had killed his son.

Most of Oliver's team had abandoned him.

The other-earth Laurel, a mirror image of his former lover and then friend, was now both hunting and haunting him.

He had a son, and had no idea how to be a proper parent to him.

He had a wife, but he wasn't sure he was making any sort of a good job on that front either. Felicity seemed to pick up all of his slack.

He felt as though he was failing everyone, on all accounts. As a leader, a father, a friend, a husband, a person who was supposed to protect them all, who promised it to them and yet failed to keep that promise time and time again.

It fell upon him like an avalanche.

The Island still haunted him. Almost losing William, watching the place explode while knowing all his friends and loved ones were there.

Even though it turned out most of them had managed to survive, he was still waking up in the middle of the night, shaking at the memory. He remembered tossing Chase's body overboard after he instructed William to go below deck. Remembered feeling like a failure, again. He'd made a promise to himself: not to kill. He tried to save Chase from killing himself. He failed. Yet another one in a seemingly unending sequence of failures, which, in recent weeks seemed to increase in number.

The situation with Cayden escalated so rapidly Oliver felt his head start to spin. Was he having a panic attack? How, HOW could he fix it?

And yet, his mind kept coming back to the island and eventually this train of thought led it to a place he never expected it to go.

" _You know, it takes a special kind of idiot to actually get dumber with time."_ The echo of Malcolm Merlyn's voice rang out in his ears, and despite of the depreciating tone of the comment, it was a welcome voice.

He hadn't expected it, but, after Felicity had told him the Dark Archer had perished on the island, he did actually mourn him. He didn't allow the emotion to take over, focused on other things, but now, months later, it really hit him.

Malcolm sacrificed his life for Thea. And yes, they had been arch-enemies years ago, at the time of the Undertaking, but later on, Malcolm had come through for him, time and time again. Always, without fail, despite their rocky relationship.

Oliver found himself flooded by a multitude of memories. Of learning Malcolm was the one who'd rescued Thea during Slade's siege of Starling. Of later working with Malcolm to defeat Ra's Al Ghul and disrupt the entire Alpha Virus scheme. The way he could rely on the man then, the way he had patiently listened to Oliver's struggles when they cooperated, the way he came up with useful advice.

" _I'm glad we got to work together, you and I. To trust as we did."_ Malcolm had said after their victory over the previous Ra's. Oliver remembered saying something about how he'd never forgive him for what he'd done to Sara, to Thea. He remembered the faint glimpse of regret in Malcolm's eyes before the man turned away. Merlyn usually kept his emotions to himself; it seemed as if he was made of stone, but from the distance of time, Oliver suddenly remembered many of these little glimpses. Barely noticeable, and yet... so important.

The brief flash of regret on Malcolm's face after Oliver announced HE would duel him instead of Nyssa for the Lotus potion, after being the one to egg him on into the duel in the first place.

"So y _ou betrayed me,_ " Malcolm's look had said. And even though the Dark Archer's next words were venomous, the look and his actions told a different story. Oliver had enough combat training to know Malcolm had pulled his punches during their fight, and had not expected Oliver to go as far as to maim him.

" _I thought of you as a son once, Oliver,"_ he'd said to him after Nyssa burned the Deamon''s Head ring. Yes, Malcolm was angry at him then, so, so very angry. Although, now that Oliver remembered his expression from that night, he realized his anger had really been a mask, or perhaps a defense mechanism to deflect a world of hurt and disappointment. He'd outed his son to Damien Dahrk, even worked with him, but then it became clear to Oliver, he'd only done it because a wave of emotions had clouded his judgement. Then, Malcolm continued with the nefarious cooperation to protect Thea from Dahrk's planned nuclear attack on the entire planet. It was logical; twisted, but logical. He'd helped Oliver's team in the end, but all Oliver gave him in return was just basically telling him to bugger off.

Another glimpse of that haunted, sad gaze after he'd said it. Oliver flinched at the memory.

And yet, then there he was, months later, at the Arrowcave, insisting to help Oliver rescue Thea, even agreeing to work with Nyssa.

' _You're not welcome here, Merlyn,'_ Oliver remembered saying when Malcolm came to the Arrowcave. And there it was again. That flicker of hurt before Malcolm regained his composure and made some sarcastic comment in return. He'd caught the dart Oliver had thrown at him, but perhaps on some metaphorical level, it had really hit him. Well, Oliver's words must have stung. But Oliver remembered Malcolm had even offered a veiled apology for kidnapping William.

Then there was the most vivid, the most haunting memory of all. Oliver had to sit down at his desk as it came crashing in.

The Malcolm Merlyn from when Oliver was just a little boy, from before Rebecca was killed. A kind man, open, honest, quick to joke around. Oliver had thought of him as family then. He let his memory travel back to those days.

Oliver's parents' marriage had always been a rocky one, a sharp contrast to what Rebecca and Malcolm's had been. Oliver remembered the joy he felt when, after listening to Moira and Robert quarreling, he got to grab his backpack and run to Malcolm's car, so he could take him for a sleepover with Tommy.

He remembered a particular weekend, after a very loud fight, when he'd just ran to Malcolm's car as if for life itself. Malcolm was standing outside and caught him as he fell into his arms, sobbing.

"Hey, hey, buddy, what's wrong? Are they fighting again?" Malcolm queried.

"Yes!" little Oliver had sobbed. "And I'm so sick of it, I don't want to go back there ever again, I'm scared!"

Malcolm helped him strap into the back seat, drove away from the manor, then stopped alongside a suburban sidewalk when he heard Oliver was still sobbing. He climbed next to him and hugged him.

"Ollie, it's okay, adults quarrel sometimes," he said in a calming tone. "Your mom and dad fighting does not mean they don't love you. They will figure things out, I'm sure."

"Well they haven't, for so long. I'm tired. They quarrel at night, and at breakfast and stuff. I don't want to go back, please don't make me go back!"

He remembered Malcolm holding him, calming him before he spoke again. "I won't force you to go back, but they are your parents. Although, I can make you a deal. I will call them at some point this afternoon and tell them how you feel, tell them to behave. Meanwhile, you have an entire weekend with Tommy and," he paused, then broke into that warm smile of his "Auntie Rebecca has made your favourite strawberry pie. We will go play some soccer, watch some movies."

Oliver remember feeling relaxed and reassured. Malcolm climbed back into the driver's seat and took him to Merlyn Mansion.

He ended up staying there for a week. Beautiful summer mornings, no quarrels, just warmth. And Malcolm was there, returning early from work, playing games with him and Tommy, laughing.

Oh, how Oliver missed the blissful days of childhood. How much he missed the Malcolm from then. Untainted by suffering which he never courted or deserved.

But then again, even after he'd returned from Nanda Parbat, Malcolm had managed to retain at least vestiges of kindness.

Oliver thought back to his own brief training with Ra's. It was so brutal. Malcolm had endured two years of it, adding to that the trauma of losing his wife... Was it any surprise he turned into a killer? And yet still, Malcolm did still have this KINDNESS about him. It was erratic and mixed with moments of absolute cruelty, however Oliver could not help but wonder. If he'd gone through the training Malcolm had been through, would he become as erratic and cold?

Wasn't he anyway? Was he any better, really? He'd tortured people, killed people, he'd become calculating and cruel. He looked back to his first days of training his recruits months back, to his treatment of them. Then he compared it to when Malcolm had trained him and Thea to fight Ra's. The Dark Archer had been at least ten times kinder.

Oliver sat and thought, thought back and further back again to these moments of kindness, of vulnerability Malcolm had shown. Especially when they were working together against Ra's. Their quiet conversations by the fire. During one of them, Malcolm had let slip he still missed Rebecca, missed Tommy, then looked away and his expression grew so-so... haunted. Oliver had not known how to respond, so he didn't. Now he wished he had. He wished he'd at least attempted to comfort the man somehow.

And then: Lian Yu. He remembered that during their rescue mission there, Malcolm never questioned or challenged him, only offered this strong, unwavering support.

Felicity had told him Malcolm hadn't hesitated for a second to take Thea's place on the landmine. Oliver knew Felicity always hated Malcolm, but what he did back then, it convinced even her there was goodness left in him. A whole lot of it. Entangled in darkness and pain, it _was_ still there.

A knock came on the door to his office and Thea entered.

Oliver looked up at her and realized she rarely even talked about Malcolm. Her father. Who'd sacrificed himself for her. After she woke up from her coma, she barely said anything, she just… moved on, returned to her work as his PR specialist, to her life, as if the man who had numerously rescued her had never even existed, as if his sacrifice meant nothing. Why would she do that? Oliver suddenly remembered Malcolm briefly mentioning the Lotus could never be a permanent solution for her bloodlust. He'd never gotten into specifics, but Malcolm was the head of the League and he rarely, if ever got into specifics anyway. What if her bloodlust had turned into something else, perhaps an incapability to fully feel emotions?

Oliver was so consumed by his thoughts he didn't even hear what his sister was saying. Some red tape babble he was so sick of.

"Ollie?" Thea insisted. " I need you to sign this stuff and the press needs-"

"Not now, Speedy," he said, feeling the mourning for Malcolm rising, along with his sudden anger at Thea.

"Ollie, this really needs to be sign-"

He cut her off, screaming, "I SAID, NOT NOW!"

She backed away slightly, clearly shocked and scared by his violent reaction. "Ollie, what's wrong?"

He had no patience for her now. "Everything's wrong, in case you haven't noticed! Fine, I'll sign the damn documents!" He grabbed the files from her. "But I'm not dealing with any press tonight or taking any calls. Cancel my meetings for tomorrow morning as well."

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "But at least tell me what's going on?"

"I've been doing some thinking. Perhaps _you_ should be doing the same type of thinking," he said a little harshly, referring to his reverie about Malcolm in a very veiled manner, not in the mood to explain himself.

"Listen Speedy, I need to head out now, blow off some steam, so just...do what I said, okay?" He forced himself to sound softer.

"Okay," She answered.

Oliver headed for the private garage of the mayor's office building where he parked his bike, not in the mood to deal with any potential journalists at the main entrance who always seemed to hover around him nowadays.

He knew exactly where he wanted to go and sped through the streets to get there. The Merlyn Global. It was the place where he always met the Dark Archer back when he was infiltrating the League, whenever he was in town. The building was abandoned and in consignment, but because Malcolm had secretly signed it over to Thea, and she decided not to do anything with it, it remained untouched, save for the "Merlyn Global" logo being turned off.

Whenever Oliver looked out at the city at night, it was the only building which remained dark. Even the Glades were sparkling again. Malcolm had insisted they meet on the roof of the former MG, perhaps as a masochistic reminder of his first defeat at Oliver's hands. Or perhaps, he had chosen it as a way to somehow replace the memory of their Undertaking duel with the memories of their cooperation in defeating a common enemy? The Dark Archer's logic could be convoluted like that. Or did it actually show sentiment, Malcolm's will to mend fences, heal old wounds?

Oliver arrived at the building and dismounted his bike, then actually went inside, instead of taking his usual route straight to the roof. He went through the offices, everything the same as it had been years ago, save from some leftover police tape. Oliver was sure Malcolm had taken precautions to keep the place running just enough, to not fall into ruin, but still it was just a mausoleum to the disgraced Merlyn name, to Malcolm Merlyn's former glory. He took the elevator to the penthouse. It was dusty, full of cobwebs, but otherwise untouched. Oliver looked at Malcolm's desk, picked up the picture of Malcolm, Rebecca and little Tommy, a reminder of happier, more innocent times for all of them.

Then he made his way to the roof. An entire kaleidoscope of memories hit him then, and, paradoxically enough, his Undertaking night duel with Malcolm was not one of them. Perhaps the man had really achieved the goal Oliver had suspected him of. Instead of the duel, Oliver remembered their clandestine meetings when they tried to combat the Alpha Virus threat, their meetings afterwards, when Malcolm was the new Ra's and couldn't risk appearing in public. Oliver recalled they had shared some good times back then. Especially one. Malcolm brought him his favorite champagne when they met a few days after Oliver's birthday. He was one of the few who'd even remembered. They just sat there, talking, Malcolm making some funny, mildly sarcastic remarks. They still were in the middle of a war, against Dahrk back then, constantly under attack, but Malcolm did something Oliver would never forget.

"Look up, just for a second, Oliver," he'd said.

He did, and he saw so many stars, a myriad of them. "This is why it's called Starling City. This is why I love it. Look at them and forget your troubles for a while."

Oliver looked at them and it was one of the best gifts anyone had given him, which cost nothing, but meant everything.

He did the same thing now, and there they were. Winking at him, so far away and yet so close. He allowed himself to be relax by their soothing presence, but then, the thoughts of the troubles with Cayden James he knew he had to eventually face returned.

Oliver leaned against the banister, looked at the flickering lights of the city in danger of being destroyed

He searched for an answer to the problem and it started to dawn on him.

He had the support of Felicity, of Thea, of Quentin, even the now somewhat skewered support of Curtis, Dinah and Rene. But he also knew none of it was enough to defeat Cayden James. He was twisted and unpredictable, always ten steps ahead.

Then, he allowed himself to admit the truth, a painful one, but still, the truth.

He was lost. He was confused. And who was the one person who had always brought him back from feeling this way? Who was the one person he really needed right now? The person who actually possessed intellect powerful enough to outwit Cayden James? Only one name rang in his ears, and perhaps it was the reason why Oliver had felt so drawn here.

Malcolm Merlyn.

With his tactical skills, his cunning, his no-nonsense approach, his skill to motivate people in times of crisis, he would be the perfect weapon against Cayden. But now, he was just what? Ashes in a landmine crater on Lian Yu, of all places.

Oliver wished none of it had happened, wished Malcolm was with him right this moment, one of his snide remarks at the ready, followed by valuable advice, as always.

He breathed in heavily. _Where the hell are you, Merlyn, right when I need you the most?!"_

Rhetorical question. Oliver leaned against the railing on the roof, feeling cold and unsettled. He stared out at the lights of the city, a city which would soon be turned to dust by Cayden James and his associates. He felt so powerless.

Suddenly, he thought he heard a faint sound on a roof just next to the dark Merlyn Global building.

He turned around and saw a silhouette there, bow in hand. The moonlight showed it was clad in League uniform.

"Malcolm?!" He exclaimed, but after he blinked, the figure was gone. Oliver jumped to the next rooftop anyway. He found nothing and noone there. He turned away, resigned. It must have been just a figment of his imagination, wishful thinking. And that's what his life had really been recently. Wishful thinking, nothing more. He returned to the Merlyn Global roof, resignation sinking in. He made it to his motorcycle and went home.

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End notes: So this is the chapter, I hope you enjoyed. Please review, next one's already in the works!


	2. Realizations

Secret Weapon

Chapter 2: Realizations

Author's note: This is a surprising one, even for me. A lot of what happens here is mysterious, guesswork for you. Challenge from me to you, perhaps? I struggled how exactly to write it, although i have clarity now: fits with my entire idea for the story. Tip:pay attention to dates and locations!

Lots of Olicity drama, among other things, Malcolm Merlyn fans will have a field day with this too:p

XxXxXxX

 _Oliver's Apartment, January 2018._

Oliver came back home from Merlyn Global,smelled a pie baking in the oven. Strawberry. Felicity knew it was his favorite, but it brought back memories he'd just so recently revisited. Rebecca Merlyn's strawberry pie, Malcolm's kindness, the blissful days of his childhood.

Felicity came out to welcome him, throwing her oven mitts aside.

"Oliver, what the hell?! I've been worried sick! What on earth are you up to? Thea called me, said you completely flipped out on her this afternoon."

Oliver felt his anger at Thea rising. "Yeah, trust her to run around narking on me, swallowed up by her fake self-righteousness." He gently pushed Felicity away, then went on to change into his usual clothes.

"Oliver, WHAT the HELL is up with you? Why are you only home around midnight, why was your phone off this entire time? And you cancelled your meetings for tomorrow morning!"

"Well, screw the meetings!" he snapped.

She went up to him, her face painted with concern. She sat him on the couch. "Oliver, you know you can tell me anything, whatever it is, so tell me," she asked gently.

Oliver composed himself a little. Her voice had a calming effect on him. "Well, instead of telling you, I actually have a question."

"Of course."

"That day on the Island, when Malcolm sacrificed himself for Thea. Tell me how it happened."

Felicity balked slightly. "Well, I've already told you."

"Tell me again, in detail. I need it, Felicity," he asked in a hoarse voice.

She obliged. She described Malcolm's complete lack of hesitation in jumping on the mine, the way she was surprised by his kind demeanor, his clear love for Thea.

"Oliver, honestly, I saw an entirely different Malcolm Merlyn then and… Not only Thea owes him her life. We all do. If he'd allowed the mine to explode, if he had not literally ORDERED us to get away, insisted on it in that maddeningly commanding tone of his... I- I wouldn't be alive, neither would Curtis. Like I told you before, I used to hate him, but now I actually owe my life to him. It's so strange."

Oliver settled in closer to her, poured them both a glass of wine. "Well, I have some stranger things to tell you. First of them concerns Thea."

Oliver explained to her Thea's seeming lack of emotion about what Malcolm had done for her, his own fear the bloodlust was expressing itself in a different way, the suggestion Malcolm had made way back when that Lotus was not a permanent solution.

"Oliver, perhaps you're overreacting a little? Perhaps she is just not ready to talk about it?"

"I don't know, but it feels so… heartless." Oliver whispered.

Felicity did not know how to respond so she just held him.

Oliver took a sip of his wine and broke the silence eventually.

"I saw him today, you know. Or at least I though so."

"What?" she turned to him, startled, so Oliver explained about going to Merlyn Global, seeing the silhouette on the roof.

She was flabbergasted and rendered speechless for a while.

"You really miss him despite everything, don't you?" She said, finally.

"I do,"Oliver admitted. "Felicity, years ago, before you ever knew him, before his wife died, he was like… like a second father to me." He told her some of the stories from the past which were haunting him. "And even after he turned into the Dark Archer, he did spring my mother from prison, had her cleared of the charges for the Undertaking, he did rescue Thea from Slade's goons, he helped us with Ra's, then in our fight against Dahrk, then against Chase. He was always there, somehow, like this twisted, protective sentinel." Oliver's breath hitched. "I think I've subconsciously gotten used to knowing he'd be there. And the thing I cannot forgive myself for is, I never even said a simple fucking 'thank you' to him. Well, I did, once, but it was less than enough."

Oliver remembered the occurrence. It was when Thea was in the hospital during her first bout of bloodlust and he had shaken Malcolm's hand in the corridor, thanking him for being supportive and helpful. He remembered the look Malcolm had given him then, of surprise and gratefulness, remembered the warmth he'd returned it with. Oh, it haunted him now, another glimpse of the kindness he knew the man possessed. He felt the pang of missing him yet again.

He swallowed the tears which threatened to come.

Felicity snuggled even closer to him and her touch gave him the strength to continue. "The thing is, we are now facing a war for the very existence of this entire city and having an ally like Malcolm back would be the deal breaker against Cayden James. He would know what to do, because I _don't_ , none of us do. He is like a hundred steps ahead."

Felicity put a soothing hand on his chest. "Ollie, I know Malcolm was a twisted form of support to you and did help a lot, but we can deal with Cayden, and we-" She broke off as the reality show which was running on tv in the background was stopped by a blaring BREAKING NEWS sign.

' _Another explosion in Star City, main station, train bound for Ivy Town. Current casualties: around 400."_

Then Cayden James appeared with his smug face on Felicity's laptop.

"How do you like my latest achievement, Mr Queen? Remember your sojourn to Ivy Town with Ms Smoak a few years back? Well, here is the reverse version of the happiness you felt then. Perhaps Ivy Town itself will be next. And well, you took the highway then, so my possibilities are endless."

Images of the train and the station exploding flashed before their eyes.

Oliver looked on as Felicity asked: "How did he hack my laptop?! How the hell did he know about Ivy Town?! "

Oliver's tone turned morose. "Like I think I told you before, Cayden's a hundred steps ahead. I hate it. And we sure as hell could use someone like Merlyn to counteract that. We're _useless_ against Cayden. No offense to you or Diggs, Quentin, or Thea _._ "

Felicity rose from the couch. "None taken. But speaking of, I need to make some phone calls to them, while you stay here and brood."

She went into the other room. Oliver just leaned back on the couch. "Yeah, make all the phone calls you like, for all the good it will do us." He griped, then drank the rest of his wine in one gulp.

Then another memory hit him.

Christmas Dinner at Queen Manor, the first one he'd had after returning from the island years ago. He remembered the conversation had turned to the topic of his secret alter ego and people were exchanging opinions.

 _"_ _What are YOUR thoughts, Oliver?"_ Malcolm had asked him from across the table.

Oliver remembered feeling insecure, afraid of accidentally revealing the fact it was actually him, so he said something about the Vigilante needing a different nickname than ''the Hood". Malcolm had suggested "Green Arrow" then. "Lame," Oliver had commented. Malcolm took the rude comment in stride and just smiled at him over the rim of his wineglass. But, hadn't there also been a flicker of hurt beneath that seemingly impenetrable Merlyn mask of perfect composure, Oliver wondered? Was it yet another one of those flickers of Malcolm's deeply guarded emotions that Oliver kept remembering and realizing now?

Damn it, Felicity was right. He really missed the man.

And how ironic was it, that now, years ago, Oliver bore the nickname 'Green Arrow', that he had chosen it for his alter ego himself, without anyone's prompting.

It actually felt right. Oliver realized _Malcolm_ had been right all those years ago. He had been right so many times. It's like the man was a hundred steps ahead intellectually. At first, "Green Arrow" sounded like just a street sign, but then, Oliver noticed the deeper meaning behind it, the meaning Malcolm also must have seen, way earlier than he had. Oliver chose green as the color of his costume, of his arrows. It was his theme color. Oliver remembered Felicity once telling him green was always thought of as the color of hope. And that's what Oliver had been trying to do ever since he began his crusade: bring hope to the citizens of Starling, to his friends, hope they would conquer it all, whatever menace came their way. The meaning and influence of colors had been analyzed for ages, by philosophers and psychologists alike. Of course Malcolm had known it. Oliver had read up about it at some point, actually searched for the metaphorical meaning of black, expecting it to be equaled with evil. Then, to his surprise, he found out that while other colors had certain established meanings and effects on people's psyche, both black and white were actually the only colors in the entire spectrum which were ambiguous. No effect, unless you chose one. Paradoxically, it fit with Oliver's current thoughts about Malcolm. He wore mostly black, but he could be either cruel or kind. So the color did not define him as bad. Quite the opposite, perhaps. Perhaps it actually hid the goodness inside which Malcolm had learned was too risky to show to the world, because when he had shown it, he had been hurt in the cruelest way possible, he was vulnerable. Not to mention Rebecca, who had been light itself.

Oliver's mind traveled back to the night of the party again, to Malcolm smiling at him over the rim of his wineglass. Oliver looked at his own wineglass right now and raised it. "Here's to you, Merlyn," he whispered a toast. "Wherever your soul is now, I _wish you were here instead_."

XxXxXxX

 _Lian Yu, May 2017, aftermath of the explosion.  
_

Malcolm woke up, propped up awkwardly against a tree. His vision was blurry, his back hurt. He faintly remembered the pain as he'd hit the trunk after he managed the jump as the mine exploded and the blast wave had thrown him against the tree. He looked at the smoldering crater in the middle of the road close to him. He had no idea how much time had passed since then. He tried to get up, but couldn't. He braced himself against the trunk and after many futile attempts, finally managed to get up, but it was a huge and painful effort.

He'd researched the Island's topography enough to know where to go for shelter, but he actually had to partly crawl to get there whenever his legs gave out under him. There was a bunker, a few hundred meters from his location, so that was where he went. He eventually made it there, stumbled down the stairs, feeling beyond exhausted. Funny how the banister, of all things now felt like his only lifeline. He thought he was hallucinating when he heard a distant rumble, then felt the ground shake. Pieces of concrete started to fall from the ceiling. He dove under a tall metal table and fell unconscious to the sounds of a deafening explosion. The ground shook. Yet another ironic reminder of his previous crimes. Was that what the victims of he earthquake he'd orchestrated in Starling had felt like before they perished?

He woke up some time later, cans of spam scattered around him. He felt so weak, but then again, he was never one to stay down, so he scrambled his way up towards the entrance and all he saw was a... wasteland. A major catastrophe must have befallen the island. His mind was fuzzy, memories and images flashing, in complete disarray. Faces, situations; and then there came some clarity too, of what had happened. He'd grasped at it, but it was like grasping at straws and those bits of clarity scared him. He wondered why he had these memory lapses. It must have been because of some sort of a concussion.

' _Keep each other safe'_ The phrase rang in his ears. At least on this one, he was clear. Thea, Felicity.

He felt the need for some fresh air, if only to clear his head, so he stumbled on, found a few patches of greenery, mercifully preserved in the midst of all the destruction around. He was tired, so very tired, so he lay down on the grass for a while. He got up and made his way back to the bunker, practically devoured some of the cans of spam and beans he found there, then arranged a makeshift bed from a few blankets. Luckily, the bunker was also stocked with canisters of water. It had no radio or any other communication equipment, though.

He got a little bit stronger with time, able to go out, find some of the undamaged areas of Lian Yu, gather some mushrooms, some wood to make a fire outside to warm himself up.

He regained many of his memories. They felt so unreal sometimes. One day, he ventured out, in a somewhat frustrated mood, tired of the spam, hoping he could maybe hunt some game and get a decent meal. How long can one retain one's already meager strength on one can of food and some herbs a day?

He climbed a hill.

' _How very ironic, Oliver,'_ Malcolm Merlyn thought as he observed the landscape below.

' _How ironic I should find myself stranded on the very island I'd sentenced you to by my actions so many years ago.'_

His mind was flooded with memories he wished he could forget, deeds he had committed but wished to undo, but most importantly, it was overwhelmed with questions. Thea, Felicity, Curtis, William…

Had they survived, were they alright? How could he ever make sure of that, trapped in this wasteland?

Was it some sort of poetic justice he was stranded here right now, with no apparent way out, no knowledge about those he loved, just like Oliver had been?

Malcolm adjusted the grip on his bow, which he'd managed to grab just before jumping away from the mine, after tricking Boomerang to step on it: the only solution he could really think of to stop him and Talia's ninjas from going after his friends. After Thea. He remembered the leap, remembered some of the shrapnel hitting him. What he also remembered was Thea's mild look before he'd ordered her to escape. The first non-hostile look he'd gotten from her in months. It was worth the pain. It was worth _everything_.

Now he stood on this hill, not certain of _anything_. He noticed a female deer grazing in one of the spots of greenery. He aimed his weapon at her, prepared to shoot. She turned to gaze at him, fear freezing her in place, making her the perfect target. Yet still, so beautiful, in the middle of a wasteland. So innocent. Now what, she had survived the extreme odds of an island exploding only to become what, his next meal?

' _I really am a monster,"_ He shook his head.

Malcolm lowered his bow and approached the animal slowly, expecting her to try and escape, but she just stood there, as if resigned to her fate. She looked at him, with that soft deer gaze. He sensed the fear was paralyzing her.

Malcolm put down his bow and reached out to touch her muzzle.

"It's alright, you're safe, I won't hurt you," he cooed.

The animal hesitated, then leaned into his touch, clearly in need of some comfort after the trauma of the explosion. Malcolm leaned in closer, whispered softly to help her calm down, then led her back to the camp, helped her into the bunker. He noticed her leg was wounded, so he treated it with whatever he had available, then made her lay down to speed up the healing process. He was surprised when she raised her head and just nudged him softly in a gesture of trust. He petted her gently in return.

"You're safe," he reassured her.

Days, then weeks seemed to go by. He often went out to gather some food for both of them. Seeing this tender, innocent animal grow healthier improved his mood, even though regaining his memory grew increasingly disturbing. He saw Adrian Chase, saw himself being tortured, maimed, things he could not understand. Things which made him so tired after he woke up that he was barely able to move, but then he knew he had to get up to make sure this fragile creature that needed him to take care of her was tended to. He named her Aurora, which meant 'dawn', a close synonym to 'light'. And she _was_ light, the definition of it, the luminescence in the midst of the darkness he had been going through for so long. It might have seemed mental to an oblivious observer, but he talked to her as if she were human, told her everything about himself. And she had a sense about him. He didn't need to give her commands, to train her, she SENSED him, sensed a way to communicate with him. She would nudge him with her muzzle when he needed comfort, alerted him to when she was hungry.

His memories were still coming back, though, and what he remembered sometimes petrified him. He did not know why he kept hearing Adrian Chase's voice. He did not know why his nightmares were focused around himself doing things he'd never done even in his cruelest moments, in his strongest bouts of anger.

And then, one horrible night, he remembered it all. He wished it was a hallucination, but it wasn't. He ran outside and retched violently as the memories fell upon him like a merciless avalanche. He rinsed his mouth with some of the water. "No, no, no, NO!" He screamed, but the wasteland just responded with an empty echo of his desperation.

He knew what he had done, the latest of his sins, unknown to none, and he also knew what had been done to him. Perhaps, in view of this newly gained knowledge, being stranded on this island was the best thing that could have happened. He still hoped those memories were an illusion, which would vanish with time.

They did not. Malcolm remembered and it truly terrified him.

In the afternoon, Malcolm went out to walk his deer friend to graze the green areas, but from he moment he woke up, he'd felt threatened, he felt this League-instilled instinct sensing unknown danger. He subscribed it to his recent memories about having done what he did, what he had been forced to do. He decided to instead focus on Aurora and on the vestiges of beauty left in this desolate place.

Suddenly, he heard a rustle. He felt his alarm senses go off, but still thought it was just his paranoia kicking in. He fed her some of her favourite herbs.

Then he heard a voice he hoped he'd never hear again. "Hello, Malcolm."

End notes: Yeah, I know, this is a cliffhanger, lots of mystery. I felt tempted to do the big reveal now, but, well, had to restrain myself. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Although, the next one is already in the works, and you know how I looove your reviews, so ya know what to do next, reviews keep me going!


	3. Sentinel

Secret Weapon

Chapter 3: The Sentinel

Author's note: Here we are people, next chappie. We plunge on as per usual. And remember, angst!

XxXxXxX

 _Oliver's apartment, January 2018, night._

Oliver sat on the couch, wine glass in hand, listening to the faint sounds of Felicity talking on the phone to Thea and Diggle about the catastrophe at the train station. She had also made contact with Curtis and his newly formed team. He said they had everything 'under control'. Apparently, the Green Arrow wasn't needed. The friends who had rejected him were 'handling things'. Oliver still had not gotten over the sting of that particular development. He gulped some of his wine, his frustration rising. They left him just because he hid some facts from them to protect them and Malcolm had still come to his aid all those months ago, after he'd chopped the man's hand off? There was something wrong with this picture. Something wrong with the people he called friends. Former enemies were better allies than them.

Oliver felt someone plop onto the couch next to him. He looked around and saw William. He immediately put his glass away onto the table, cursing himself inwardly for being half-drunk and turned towards his son."Hey, buddy. Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"I couldn't sleep," the boy said. "So I got up to go to the kitchen for some milk and then I overheard you and Felicity talking."

"About what?" Oliver knew he had to tread carefully there.

"About Malcolm Merlyn," the boy answered.

"Ah." Oliver said, not sure how to proceed. Malcolm was the one who had kidnapped William for Damien Dahrk.

Silence reigned. Oliver wished he hadn't drank the wine, perhaps then he'd be able to think more clearly.

Surprisingly, it was William who broke the silence. "He was kind to me."

"What?" Oliver asked, startled.

"When he took me to that…. whatshisname, Damien Dahrk's house. And after."

Oliver hadn't broached this subject with William for fear it was too much of a traumatizing experience for his boy, but now, he couldn't stop himself from asking. The question had nagged at him for too long.

"Will, were you…Were you hurt in any way while you were there?"

"No," William shook his head. "Never. I… After I arrived there, this man, Damien Dahrk, invited me to go play with his daughter, Nora. She liked drawing a lot, and they gave me my own set of crayons, so I could draw too. I wasn't allowed to go out, there were these bodyguards and Dahrk could be so creepy and scary…" Will paused for a while. He swallowed and then continued. "He, like, strangled people who annoyed him, with this telekinetic power people in science fiction movies use."

Oliver moved to rub the boy's shoulder to comfort him. "I'm sorry you had to witness such things, buddy."

"It's not your fault. And it's not Malcolm's, either. It's that Dahrk guy's."

Oliver tried not to show his shock at the fact William called Malcolm by his first name.

"I heard what you said about him, dad. You admitted you miss him." William said.

"Well, yes," Oliver nodded.

William thought about it for a while. "Weren't you two enemies, though? I.. I researched him on the internet, and I know about the Undertaking, I know you were the one to stop him, but I also read about his wife. About what happened to her. It was what caused him to kill all those people, right? He like, snapped or something?"

The level of William's maturity and insight was a welcome surprise. He decided it was time to tell his son the truth.

"Yes it was the reason. It pushed him over the edge. And I stopped him, but um... Will… We had a complicated relationship. Before all the stuff with his wife, he was like family to me. And then even after all I did to him, after the Undertaking, he helped me, many times." Oliver decided that before he revealed everything to William, he needed some answers himself.

"Aside from him being kind, what did you think about Malcolm, buddy? What was your impression of him? Can you tell me? Only if you want to."

The speed with which the boy responded took Oliver by surprise. "He was so fearless," Will said with clear admiration in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone was scared of Dahrk and his powers. His, um employees and partners usually sucked up to him, they… trembled when he entered the room, but Malcolm stood up to him, always. I never once saw him, uh… what's the word… cower. He called Dahrk out on his mistakes, on his stupid cruelty."

Oliver smiled wistfully. This was Malcolm Merlyn, alright. Fearless. Indomitable. He could be cruel himself, but still had those vestiges of kindness which had started to return to him, which could be compared to a body regenerating from a disease. And then Lian Yu happened.

William continued. "There was this one incident, when he really helped me out. Now that I think about it, he probably saved my life."

"What was it?" Oliver felt concerned and intrigued at the same time.

"Well, I was… uh I was tired and scared, I… I wanted to go home, back to mom, so I… I started crying, asking Dahrk to release me and Dahrk got angry at me, called me a 'whiny brat'. He went up to me and I think he wanted to strangle me, but Malcolm was there and just... stepped between us. He like, growled at Dahrk to back away, then sort of talked him down. I think he said something about me being just an innocent child. He was really the only one who could influence him somewhat. I think he even intimidated him a little."

Oliver smirked. "Yeah definitely. Typical Malcolm."

Will still had more to say. "Then, after I went to the room they'd given me, I… I was freaked out and I just couldn't stop shaking. Malcolm came in after a while and told me some sort of story, to distract me, I think. It was quite funny. And he said something I didn't understand back then, but I do now. He said, ' _Don't worry, your Dad will save you, He's a hero. And until then, I promise I'll make sure you're safe.'_ And he did keep that promise. He watched me around Dahrk, like this...like some sort of a… a sentinel."

Oliver felt a pit of grief in his stomach and reached for his glass of wine again. ' _Drinking in front of your child. You're doing an awesome job at parenting,'_ Oliver chided himself in his thoughts, but he couldn't help it. He was too overcome with emotions he needed to drown.

Will didn't even blink at it, didn't even seem to notice. He kept on with his narrative. "Malcolm would also get sad very often and he tried to hide it, but his stump must have hurt. I saw it on his face. He still did tuck me in despite of it when I was scared and when he was on what Dahrk called guard duty."

Oliver made a decision then. "Will," he began hesitantly, knowing that what he intended to say might make his son hate him, but he knew he needed to say it. "It was me who cut Malcolm's hand off."

"What?" William asked and Oliver explained to him they had a duel because they'd disagreed about a very important issue. He did not give him all the details, the boy wasn't ready for them yet.

William was quiet for a while. Oliver waited with bated breath for his child to call him a monster, throw a fit, even, but William remained calm.

"I asked him about it, Dad. All he said was that the person who did this to him could have killed him, but chose not to, and that a warrior's life usually meant getting hurt, but also, that it was better to be a warrior than a victim. To always try to remain strong, even when in pain."

Oliver decided not to even try and count the times his heart had been ripped apart by the memories, the newly gained knowledge of Malcolm's kindness and wisdom, by how true his words had been. The man had really thought of him as a son. Had the perhaps also... loved him like a son?

Well, he would never know now, would he?"

"Are you mad at me, buddy?" He asked William instead of dwelling on these heart wrenching issues.

"No, I'm not mad, I'm… Well, I did not only research Malcolm on the internet, I first researched you. I know you killed people. I know what being a Vigilante means. But… you also help people, you risk your life to do it. And someone has to. You and Malcolm, you're very much alike. Well, were. You both shared this darkness and kindness. Maybe it's why you miss him."

"Maybe," Oliver took yet another gulp of his drink. The reasons he missed the Dark Archer kept multiplying. "Malcolm saved your mom," he blurted out.

"What?" William tuned to him, confused. "But, but she's dead!" he exclaimed.

"She is... Uh let me explain. When your Aunt Thea stepped on the mine, and Malcolm took her place, as you've heard from my conversation with Felicity, your mom was also there. And there were people chasing them, so Malcolm ordered the others to run while he stayed behind and sacrificed his life. Even though your mom died later in the island explosion orchestrated by Chase, at least Malcolm gave her a fighting chance at surviving.

"And Auntie Thea and Felicity are alive thanks to him. Dad, I...I know the whole world thinks of him as a villain, but I think he was… is a hero."

Oliver felt that tug on his heat again. "You know what buddy, I think you're right. A misguided one, but still, a hero."

"I bet he would have been a great uncle," William said.

Oliver thought back to the Malcolm from his childhood, to the Malcolm who had come to his aid when he was fighting Chase. "Yeah, he definitely would."

They sat in silence for a while, then Oliver took William to his bed and tucked him in.

William couldn't sleep. He thought about the danger of Cayden James, of all the trouble they were facing, of how scary the world was. He wished for Malcolm's calming presence, remembered the man had come to sit down by his bedside whenever he'd cried out at night when he'd been at Damien Dahrk's house.

 _Sentinel_.

XxXxXxX

Author's note. So here it is, remember to review and tell me what you think. Next is in the works, people! It was kind of hard to write because of all the emotions, but I also loved writing it.


	4. Puppetmaster

Secret Weapon

Chapter 4: The Puppetmaster Part 1: False Oblivion

Warnings: angst, some violence

Autor's note: Let's just say some big AU reveals arrive in this one!  
Remember to pay attention to the dates and locations! Timeline jumps a little because of flashbacks :p  
I've decided to make this storyline in installments  
Also, it contains some canon season 2 Legends of Tomorrow stuff, but don't worry if you haven't seen it, I have conspired with my brain to make it understandable. Although, to all Malcolm fans out there: WATCH THEM, he is amazing there:p  
XxXxXxX

Lian Yu, June 2017.

"Hello,Malcolm," The voice said cheerfully, but the cheerfulness in it was beyond fake and the very sound of it made Malcolm's blood feel like ice coursing through his veins. Nightmarish memories flooded his mind, but he maintained his composure. He leaned towards his deer's muzzle and petted her neck, then whispered just one word into her ear. "Run." The animal did not have to be told twice. It brushed his cheek briefly with its wet nose as if trying to comfort him, then took off at a gallop.

Malcolm turned towards the voice and saw a figure clad in a ragged, grey cape. It removed it's hood.

"You survived," Malcolm said, surprised he'd managed a level voice.

"So did you," Adrian Chase replied. "And from what I see, you made some new, furry friends, friend. Or let me use the word: traitor." His tone turned venomous.

Malcolm shrugged, feigning a relaxed demeanor. "You should really check your vocabulary and word definitions, Chase." he spat. "You can only be a traitor if you WILLINGLY betray your principles, not because you were drugged into doing it, which is what you did to me."

"Well, I see the drug has worn off and your memory has returned. Pity." Chase sighed. "But I can remedy that. Come on, Malcolm you really didn't enjoy hurting Oliver Queen after all he's done to you? I think the drug actually helped you think clearly. I helped you. Recognize that."

"I don't enjoy hurting Oliver," Malcolm growled, while his mind threatened to go into overdrive with the myriad of ways he had actually hurt Oliver and how SICK it made him feel now. He was on the verge of losing his mind. "What I would enjoy, though, is snapping your neck, you unhinged scum!"

Malcolm charged, letting out an animal-like growl and they engaged in hand to hand combat.

"Come on, admit it, you loved it, the chemicals just helped you channel that urge!" Chase panted as he parried Malcolm's blows.

"NO!" Malcolm shouted as he kept on punching, despite the fact his strength was giving out and he noticed Chase seemed fitter than him.

Oh how low the mighty have fallen, he thought back to his days as Resh.  
He would have CRUSHED Chase if he had the power he'd had then.

"I will NOT be your puppet again!" He roared.

"Oh, but you will," Chase said before he kicked Malcolm's still recovering leg, causing him to lose his footing and then knocked him unconscious.

Unfortunately, unconsciousness did not bring Malcolm the mercy of oblivious darkness. No. Instead, it brought with it another harsh kaleidoscope of memories, which this time, hit full strength, no details left untouched.

XxXxXxX

 _Star City, almost a year earlier, July 2016, nighttime._

Malcolm stood in front of his cheap TV in his dingy apartment, re-watching a video of Oliver Queen killing Damien Dahrk for the upteenth time. Not that he hadn't actually seen it in real life several weeks earlier, but the stations kept replaying it on each channel way too often. What's the point?, he soundlessly asked the screen. Some sort of sick fascination with watching someone get stabbed? Or the need for the people to know another villain was dead, their lust for revenge assuaged by the image of the 'bad guy' in pain? Malcolm wondered.

If his own defeat at Oliver's hands on the night of the Undertaking years ago had been caught on camera, he'd probably beat some sort of record on the amount of You Tube views. There was no love lost for Malcolm Merlyn, anywhere.

But that wasn't the point. Other, more cynical and yet painfully plausible explanations as to this morbid popularity of Dahrk vs Oliver video dawned on him. It was a mass-illusion, a way to cope, and a fool's errand to boot.

Because after one 'villain' was defeated, publically or not, sooner or later another would surface and rain destruction upon yet another multitude of lives. Malcolm had history itself to back him up on this. After the Dark Archer was 'out of the picture' and Starling started to recover from the aftermath of the Undertaking, not even a year went by before Slade Wilson and his Mirakuru-enhanced soldiers and allies arrived. Then there was Malcolm's former master, Ra's Al Ghul and the Alpha Omega virus. After that, there was Damien Dahrk. And, in between, so many lesser, albeit not minor ones which Oliver had had to face on a constant basis. Not only him, but also all of these innocent people, who basically neded a focus point for their anger not to go completely insane. Just like Malcolm himself had needed after Rebecca had died. For him, it had been the Glades. For some of the people affected by the Undertaking, it was Malcolm Merlyn. For some it was the actions of Damien Dahrk or even Oliver himself, masked as The Arrrow.

There was no simple solution. There was no closure. Malcolm knew it all from experience. Before going to Nanda Parbat for the first time, he'd thought he'd killed the punk who murdered his wife. It hadn't changed a thing, it did nothing to quench his anger, to alleviate his pain, even before he'd learned years later that he had killed the wrong man.

After all the League of Assassins' training, after putting on the armor of 'not feeling at all', of posing as this cold, untouchable warrior... Deep down inside, he was still just a shell of a human being, a shell of what he'd wanted to be. And trying to remedy that had cost him everything.

Tommy. Moira. Thea. Oliver…

He did not choose this path. Neither did many of those he had destroyed, or who had chosen destruction as a way to gain relief. Even Damien Dahrk himself.

Malcolm remembered arriving at one of the HIVE hideouts and informing Dahrk that his wife had been killed. He remembered the raw pain that had flashed in the man's eyes, the way his muscles seemed to turn to stone. Even Damien Dahrk had feelings. Malcolm had looked at him then, REALLY looked at him. Behind this joke-around-suddenly-turn-lethal demeanor, Dahrk had truly loved his wife. Malcolm knew this kind of desperation and loss. But also, he knew he had to stop Damien. This kind of rampage would only destroy lives and not bring the man any relief.

So he helped Oliver and his team to fight Dahrk's yellow-pill-influenced goons, helped them prevent a massive nuclear catastrophe. And all he got in return after all was said and done was _'Get out of here, Merlyn,'_ from Oliver and, to put mildly, a cold shoulder from Thea. He respected their wishes and closed himself away in this dingy apartment, prepared to live out his days in silent pain. He did not bother to move out from Starling City, choosing an old, abandoned building in the Glades of all places. Former League of Assassins safe house.

This was one of the gifts he wished for, but would not be granted. He was plagued by half-waking dreams, memories, horrors, hallucinations.

He saw himself and a speedster named Eobard Thawne travel through time, battles with aliens, with former allies, doing unspeakable things and it all felt like a movie. A movie on his tv screen, suddenly turning onto news again, another repeat on Green Arrow vs Damien Dahrk, then his time travel. Was it true or a hallucination?

He turned the tv off and poured himself a drink, sat back in his chair with a sigh. He looked around the apartment, empty liquor bottles strewn around the place.

How had he even ended up here?

"I will never be your daughter!" Thea's voice.

"I will never forgive you for what you did to Sara. My sister." Oliver.

The Green Arrow severing his hand, slicing through muscle and bone.

"But I helped you, I…" Malcolm said in a hoarse voice, then trailed off as Oliver's image disappeared and he realized he was only speaking to himself yet again.

Malcolm was far from sure of what was real and what was not. The images kept coming.

He saw himself fighting Sara Lance, he saw Damien Dahrk introduce him to Adrian Chase, saw horrible things, things he wished he wished he could forget or prevent. He saw himself being left in this very room, abandoned and forgotten, only demons haunting him.

"Don't fight it, Malcolm," came Adrian's cooing voice. "Return to the fold. I will help you, as you have helped me. Remember?" Chase's voice turned oh-so friendly. "You gave me all the information i needed to corner Oliver. As he'd cornered you. He thwarted your plans. Don't think about the speedsters or their allies, or the past. They cheated you. Now it is time for you and I to will make things right."

"Wh-what?" Malcolm asked weakly.

"Cayden James, do you remember?"

Malcolm did remember, with unwelcome clarity. "Y-you forced him into my consciousness, you used me!" he tried to shout, but managed only a hoarse whisper.

"No, you wanted it. Malcolm. Just after your cooperation with Damien was done, you went into this self-pity mode. Not even reversing time could help you. You want love from your daughter, from your precious Oliver. You want absolution for your sins. Guess again, Dark Archer, however hard you try, IT WILL NEVER COME!"

Malcolm remembered even more then. The Spear of Destiny. The fight against Sara Lance and her team. He remembered ending up back at the very apartment he was now in. Unwanted. Not needed. Redundant. A sacrifice.  
In so much pain. His dreams were not dreams but broken memories coming back to life... As shattered glass.

"They wiped a lot of my memory." Malcolm mumbled, sitting up, shaking away the haziness.

"What do you remember? And tell the truth, no use pretending. It will hurt, though," Chase insisted.

Malcolm sensed the Vortura truth serum seep into his blood, influence his mind.. How ironic- the same drug he'd used on Thea way back when to kill Sara.

He thought he'd have trouble to say the things he needed to say, to sway Chase, but the Vortura was too strong.

Talk about poetic, twisted justice.

Even though his mind battled against it, for weeks, he found himself discussing strategies with Chase, revealing Oliver's utmost vulnerable side. Chase had definitely done his homework. He was very well informed about Oliver, very skilled with the use of Vortura.  
Malcolm could not stop the flood of information that he gave his forced ally, news he knew would hurt Oliver the most. Each day of Chase's interrogation, he tried his best to resist. To little of no avail. Chase forced him to speak about losing Rebecca, about his years training with the League, his shady deals as the CEO of Merlyn Global, about his allegiance to the League of Assassins. He fired the questions at Malcolm like arrows. No respite, no sleep.

He was more insistent than Damien Dahrk. More cruel, more determined.

During one of the interrogation sessions, Chase took out a tablet, then let Malcolm watch the news on the screen.

Yet another one of Cayden James' attacks on Star City. Another failure from the Green Arrow to protect the innocent. Numerous victims. Just like Rebecca had been, so many years earlier. Only then, there had been no 'Green Arrow'. There had been no faceless, mask-clad heroes, no Batman or Superman, Super-Girl, Wonder-Woman, the Flash, Iron-man, Spider-man, Green Lantern, whoever. They could not bring Rebecca back. HE could not bring Tommy back. None of them could make them breathe again, live again. Even the famed Spear of Destiny did nothing and all he got for trying was more heartbreak. Left alone in a dingy apartment, watching the news which brought more and more injustice, watching the world spin out of control, broken only to pause by Adrian Chase's interrogations.

Malcolm remembered coming up with a strategy back then. It would damn him as a villain in Oliver's eyes yet again. It would make people he loved the most hate him even more than they hated him now. They would not have a clue he was actually on their side. Still, there was no other solution.  
Malcolm turned his head towards Chase, faked a smile.

"I know what you want," he said and stopped Chase before the boy even thought of a chance to protest, to make another move against Oliver. "You want to destroy him. Oliver Queen. So do I." Malcolm faked a calculating gaze. Chase turned to him, surprise painted all over his face. Malcolm knew he had him then, "I also want to make him HURT, Adrian. Hurt like he'd never been hurt before."

Chase took the bait. "I like the way you are thinking," he said. "Damien Dahrk sure did a good job of recommending you. Now, tell me."

Malcolm steeled himself, for what he knew Chase already was aware of, he steeled himself against the Vortura. It would hurt, but he had to combat it, as much as he was able to.

He made his fake intentions clear to Chase, ascertaining he learned as much as possible of Chase's agenda at the same time.

XxXxXxX

 _Lian Yu, after the island exploded._

Malcolm looked away into the distance as he prepared for the performance of his life.

"You are right, Adrian," he said. The best of lies always had a grain of truth in them. "I thought of Oliver as a son once." He still did, but was not about to reveal it to Chase. "He only thought of me as an enemy, then trusted me. And..." Now came the time to risk it all. "And he abandoned me. You know he did! My daughter left me."

Adrian put a hand on Malcolm's shoulder, caught up in emotion. "I know. and I will help you, Merlyn."

"How, Adrian?!" He turned away, still playing the hurt card. "They won! Here we are, in this wasteland, abandoned. After I helped him. After I helped my family." He shook his head. "I betrayed you, for a... a dream, an illusion. You would do me a favor if you killed me right now."

"Malcolm, stop this self pity mode, it does not lead to anything good," Adrian said. "You have finally seen the light, you helped me pretend-die in front of Oliver Queen. Now he won't know what will hit him. He doesn't' know I died, does not know you survived."

"No, he does not." Malcolm sighed. _Neither does he know I'm not working with you._ He was the pretend bad guy again. Diving into the bad side to rescue Oliver, even if it ended up him being hated and rejected by the very people he loved. He needed to do this, in order to learn what Cayden and his associates had prepared. He had to pretend to be one of them.

"Let's do this, Adrian," he said. "Let's make it memorable." He stood up and flashed his best fake smile at Chase.

"Certainly." Chase smiled as well and shook his hand.

"We have a deal then," Malcolm said.

"We do," Chase confirmed. "Now, lets get to the helicopter and meet our allies. You know most of them. I'm glad you've finally seen the light, Merlyn."

"Oh come on, call me Malcolm." The Dark Archer laughed. The more he made Adrian feel comfortable with him, the more the boy would be inclined to reveal his secrets.

They boarded the machine and strapped in. Malcolm looked down at the Island, at the destruction Chase had rained upon it, the greenery that had managed to survive.

"Why are you smiling?" Chase asked, in a somewhat threatening voice.

"Oh, just these animals, down there." He pretended an amused tone. "They survived even the explosion. So innocent. So strong."

Adrian followed his gaze. "They are beautiful."

"They are," Malcolm confirmed and knew he had to divert Chase's attention away. "Now, tell me how we hurt Oliver Queen."

XxXxXxX

 **To be very much continued!**

 **Author's note:**

Soon to be followed by another chapter. In case u didn't notice it is Malcolm pretending. Enjoy and review my darlings!


	5. Puppetmaster 2

Secret Weapon

Chapter 5: Puppetmaster part 2: Understand you.

Author's note: Here is me, back Puppetmaster chapter is in installments. Now I introduce some OCs, briefly, then it is on to our favorites. I adore your reviews, keep them coming, people!

XxXxXxX

 _Years ago, Starling City._

If Malcolm Merlyn were ever to fully understand himself and his actions, it would take ages. He did not have ages to waste. Neither did his love, Emily Carson. Neither did his allies. They only spoke the language of blood and violence. Language of nightmares, to boot. Malcolm had been trained in the very same language by the League of Assassins, but then, he met Emily and her friends.

She was a secret agent, an assassin for hire. Her friend, Sabrina, was also a mercenary, proficient in a multitude of fighting schools. Malcolm's friends in high places had recommended two other allies. Former CIA and MI6 agents, Kevin and Tim respectively.

Life had a very versatile side to it, a very non-innocent side.

Malcolm and Emily learned it early on. She'd learned it way ealier than he did, not that she ever complained. The two of them met when he thought she was way too young to even begin facing such a thing. Malcolm thought it had damaged her. She took it in stride and helped him through his own loss, time and time again.

He met her just after he'd completed his training at Nanda Parbat.

"Well, you are an opponent to reckon with," he commented after their first duel.

"So are you," She panted. "Am I hired, Mr. Merlyn?"

"Wait a second," He turned in a flash and caught a black and red arrow, shot by Sabrina, who stood on the roof of the utilities addition on top of Merlyn Global.

"You're both hired," He smiled.

"Well, if you hire Bri there, you need to be prepared for lots of surprises. Of the good kind."

Malcolm chuckled. "I know." he shook Sabrina's hand as she jumped down to stand next to him.

"Welcome, Ms Snow."

"Thank you, Mr Merlyn."

Kevin and Tim emerged from the vantage point from which they had observed the duel.

A new alliance was formed.

XxXxXxX

 _Lian Yu, after the explosion._

"Well, Adrian? How do we proceed from now on? Oliver thinks I'm dead, thinks you are dead. _I think_ this is an advantage." Malcolm smiled.

"Oh, it is, but only if you cooperate. And the only way i can be certain you do is this:" Chase took out a syringe, grabbed Malcolm's arm and shoved it into his vein.

As the liquid seeped into his blood, Malcolm felt himself become a puppet again.

"Now, you are fully mine," Adrian whispered.

"I was, anyway. Are all these drugs necessary, though? You know I hate Oliver." Malcolm asked, battling the side effects.

"Well, call them an additional insurance policy."

"All they do is make me dizzy."

"I like the odds on that. Malcolm Merlyn dizzy. Hmm, dizzy and prone to be influenced. Besides, you have a weak spot when it comes to Oliver."

Malcolm knew it to be true, but was not about to admit it.

"Maybe I had, in the past." He lied his ass off. "No longer."

"What is it now?" Chase asked.

"Weak spot turned to hatred," Malcolm said. "Let me say, if I am to be sentimental... Oliver Queen overstayed his welcome with Malcolm Merlyn. I'm ready to move on."

Oh, how easily the lying came to him.

Adrian smiled, beyond fooled by Malcolm's trickery. "Now, let's get you further in touch with Cayden, shall we?'

"Yes, let's," Malcolm replied.

XxXxXxX

 **Author's note** : Short chapter, as it was meant to be. I have way too many goodies coming so prepare for them and review this!


	6. Sons

Secret Weapon

Chapter 6: Sons.

 **Author's note:** Here it comes, after a very short chapter, a longer one. Not too long, just long enough to entertain you.:)

Enjoy and review, my dears!

XxXxXxX

"I love you, father." Adrian stood above his dad's grave, holding Malcolm's arm in a painful grasp."I will love you, forever." He turned towards Malcolm.

"You understand, Merlyn?"

"I do." Malcolm confirmed.

"Your father is still alive?"

"Yes, going on eighty." Malcolm confirmed.

"Well, congratulations."

"Don't hold it against me, Adrian."

"I wouldn't. As long as you don't hold me influencing you by drugs i used against you."

Malcolm chuckled. "Me holding it against you would make me a hypocrite."

"Yeah, it would," Adrian said. "So, let's not venture into these avenues."

"Let's not," Malcolm sighed. "Now, I reckon you want me to meet Cayden James."

"Yes, I do." Adrian confirmed.

"Let me make the acquaintance, then."

Adrian drove Malcolm to Cayden's location.

The Dark Archer exited the car, shook hands with Cayden.

"Good evening," Cayden said politely, "Nice to see you alive."

"Nice to be alive. No thanks to Oliver Queen." Malcolm smirked.

"A man after my own heart," Cayden smiled in return.

"Oh, Cayden, I did not come here to just get revenge." Malcolm said. "Or has Adrian here misinfomed you?" Oh, how the lying developed.

"No." Cayden said. "Adrian told me you are prepared to do whatever it takes to destroy Oliver Queen."

"I am," Malcolm growled. "Now, stop the play-pretend and tell me how we do it, because I am beyond TIRED of playing the Green Arrow's game!"

Malcolm knew how to trick his opponents. Cayden and Adrian caught on.

"Here's what we do," Cayden said. "I lost my son and Adrian lost his father. You, Malcolm, lost your son."

"No need to remind me of my losses, Cayden. Wife, son, friend, another son and a daughter. You could not even begin to understand, so- don't! Don't remind me!" Malcolm growled.

"I'm sorry," Chase said before Cayden could utter another word. "Im sorry. Cayden has clearly overstretched himself, mentally. I will make it better, Malcolm. Walk with me, will you?" He waved Cayden off.

The Dark Archer nodded.

"Malcolm," Chase started as they went on their way. "I am about to say something I never thought I would tell you."

"What is it?" Malcolm asked, intrigued.

"Well, I think it would be best if you only listen, without judging me," Adrian replied.

"A difficult task, given the fact you and your friend: Cayden have been turning Oliver's and my daughter's lives into a nightmare for the past few months. Not to mention, I have to pretend to be dead, well, for the heck of it, if nothing else."

"Well, for a man whom noone seems to give a damn about, you sure as hell care a lot about your fake son, who, by the way, cut your hand off." Adrian chuckled.

"Well, Oliver had his reasons."

"Oh yes, and you will find an excuse for each one of them," Adrian mocked. "Even if you are missing a limb. Congratulations."

"I would rather miss a limb than my father." Malcolm said, reminding Adrian of his past.

"That was a low blow, even for you, Merlyn."

"I'm sorry, Adrian." Malcolm lowered his head, realizing he'd gone too far. "It's not something to joke about, ever. We migh both be villains, but even so, parents are off-limits."

"You're one to talk," Adrian said. "You killed Oliver's father. Made him and his sister half-orphans. I've done my homework."

"I did not mean for the situation to turn out this way." Malcolm replied.

"And yet, it has."

"Is this why you keep on torturing me?" Malcolm asked. "Because I created the Green Arrow. He was an innocent boy, before, the son of my best friend. And I killed my friend. I killed Robert." Malcolm choked on the words. "I made my friend's son go through hell, for years, on that island, the island you destroyed."

"Are you saying this to ask me for compassion? For whom is it supposed to be?! Yourself or Oliver?!" Adrian shouted.

"Not for me, for him."

"How noble of you," Adrian mocked. "You think that if you sacrifice yourself, you will somehow what? Save him from my vengeance? He killed my father! There is no coming back from this, no forgiveness!"

"Adrian," Malcolm said, "Whatever you want to do to Oliver, it will not bring your father back!"

"Says the man who caused his own son to die! Remember Tommy Merlyn? Like I said, I have done my homework."

"Don't you dare bring my son into this!" Malcolm growled.

"Why not? You seem to have another one now. Isn't Oliver Queen the greatest?"

"Walk away," Malcolm panted. "Right now."

"What, are you offended, Malcolm?" Chase asked.

"If you know what's good for you, Adrian, DON'T PUSH it. You and Cayden both. Don't." Malcolm growled.

"Ok, ok, no need to put your panties in a bunch!" Adrian grabbed Caden's arm. "We'll talk to you tomorrow!" He shouted before Cayden and him got the hell out of dodge.

"He's scary!" Cayden exclaimed.

Malcolm just smirked as he watched them run.

"Well, I said: WALK." he commented.

 **Authors note 2:** Ok, there is some humor here, I enjoyed writing it, you enjoy as well!


	7. An Arragement

Secret Weapon

Chapter 7: An Arragement.

 **Author's note:** First of all, I want to thank my awesome reviewers. You keep me going and you are awesome!

I LOVE you!

XxXxXxX

 _So the chapter does begin! :P_

Oliver sat at the table with William. Felicity was in the kitchen, making breakfast. "You sad, father. Why?" William asked.

"Oh, don't worry, Will. I'm just...missing someone."

"Is it Malcolm Merlyn?"

Oliver turned to his son, surprised by the boy's insight. "How did you know?"

"I miss him too. He was kind to me, as I've already told you. Can't you find it in yourself to forgive him for what he has done? I have. And don't tell me I'm too young to understand these things, cause I'm not! I'm not too young to accept the man who respected me enough to know this. I AM OLD enough to know!"

"I never intended to disrespect you, buddy" Oliver said.

"Don't you 'buddy' me," William exclaimed. "I know the things I need to know. In case you've failed to notice my abilities of observation, here they are!"

"William, stop, you don't understand!" Oliver shouted.

"YOU don't understand!" Malcolm did! You think my mother dying on that island is MY fault!

"No, Will, I have never thought this!"

"Well it sure seems like it!"

"No, Wiliam, she did not die because of you! If you're looking for someone to blame, it's me and Adrian Chase !

"Why you?" William asked.

Oliver sighed. "I aggravated him and he tried to take his revenge on me by killing your aunt Thea, your mom, all of my friends and loved ones."

"Well, he ended up killing my mom. Some of your friends were friends with Adrian."

"I was once friends with him, William. I'm not proud of it, but I had no idea. He cooperated with me in my mayoral office. I did not have a clue he'd betray me like this."

"So, he lied to you, and this is why my mom and Malcolm died and it almost got my aunt Thea and Felicity killed."I hate when people lie."

"William, the harsh truth of life is that people lie."

"Yes, so do you. You lied when you said you would not be the Green Arrow anymore."

"I did," Oliver lowered his head in shame. He hated failing his son. "I had to, Will. Star City needed noone else could fill my place."

"You could have told me that. I'd understand."

"I'm sorry, I should have. I think Felicity is ready with the breakfast. You hungry?"

"I am. And I love Felicity's cooking." The boy smiled.

Oliver's phone rang. An unregistered number.

"You run ahead, Will. I need to take this call."

"Ok, dad,' Will threw a smile at Oliver before he dug into his breakf

"Hello?" the Green Arrow asked, then heard a voice he never expexted to hear again.

"Oliver," Malcolm Merlyn said. "I don't think I have much time to talk.

Cayden James and Adrian Chase are alive, here on Lian Yu. So are some of their allies." He sighed. "And I hate to say it, but given my injuries, I need you here, as soon as possible," he panted.

"How badly are you wounded?" Oliver asked.

"It's not looking good. I managed to make them run, but I'm not sure how long they will stay away."

Oliver made an executive decision then. "I'm on my way. Where do we meet?"

"By the place you and Thea stayed at when you were on the Island."

"Allright."

"Be careful, Oliver. I am not sure where they went."

"Noted, Malcolm. We have an arrangement, then?"

"Yes, we have, Oliver."

Oliver turned towards William and Felicity.

"I'm afraid you will have to eat breakfast al by yourselves. The job is calling."

He beckoned Felicity and informed her about the situation with Malcolm.

"Allright, go, I'll make sure Will is okay" She whispered

Oliver nodded and called Diggle. "Don't ask questions, Diggs. How soon can Lyla have a helicopter ready for me?"

"For you? Whenever, wherever you want. All I need is the destination."

"Lian Yu."

"Allright, It will be on the roof of your building within an hour and you better explain everything to me if and when you return."

"I will,"Oliver said, then made his way out of the apartment.

He arrived on the roof and found the pilot waiting for him there.

"Leroy Gibbs's the name." He was clearly a no-nonsense man. "Where are we going?"

Oliver gave him the coordinates for the remotest spot on Lian Yu.

"Curious place to go, but Lyla did say you are a curious kind of person. So, let's get you there, Mr Star City Mayor."

"I'm very grateful, Leroy."

"Just lean back and relax, we'll be there in a jiffy."

"Well,Leroy, the situation might get ugly when we land. You have a weapon handy?"

"Of course. It''s not my first rodeo. Lyla told me there is a person in there who might need rescuing and other persons who need killing?"

"Right on both accounts."

Leroy made the machine speed up. They arrived on Lian Yu in record time. Malcolm emerged from what remained of the forest by the place he told them to land.

"Hold your horses," Oliver shouted at Malcolm as he ran out of the machine and grabbed the Dark Archer by the arm none too gently. "How are you even alive?!" He exclaimed.

"No time to explain it fully, Oliver. Cayden and Chase are somewhere here, and I surely hope you are armed, cause Cayden and Adrian surely are!"

"How's Chase still alive?" Oliver exclaimed.

"Like I said, explanations are for later. Right now we need to go somewhere for cover. So hail your friend, we are sitting ducks here!"

Oliver waved at Gibbs. The man ran up to them. "What are we dealing with in this wasteland?"

Oliver attemptd to speak, but Malcolm interrupted. "Two madmen wanting to kill us, their location unknown. And we need to take them out or they will hunt us down wherever we are, or take out everyone we love. I take it you've secured your machine?"

"Yes, I have. Now let's go."

"Malcolm, what the hell, how's Cayden even here?" Oliver exclaimed as they broke into a run.

"He has some sort of deal with Chase."

"Don't you? And how are you even alive?"

"I managed to jump away from the mine and trick Harkness into stepping on it, the fool he was. Then those other two fools apeared to make my day even harder. Here we are," Malcolm led them to a bunker underground.

"This does not explain how Chase survived. I saw him die."

"Well, that's on me. In case you don't know, Oliver I am somewhat proficient in pretending to die. Chase shot blanks into his head. It rendered him unconscious, it didn't kill him. I did not know it would trigger an explosion on the island! He failed to share that information with me ."

"Why would you do this?!"Oliver exclaimed as he charged at Malcolm. "Why do you keep on doing this? Why do you keep hurting me?!" he shouted as he punched Malcolm. "Did you not know Chase is a maniac who has it out for me? You once claimed you thought of me as a son. It means nothing to you, does it? Because judging by Tommy's and Theas example, people you call your children end up dead, even though you kindly ressurect them afterwards!"

Malcolm let the Green Arrow hit him, did not attempt any resistance to his blows.

"Oliver," He panted. "Chase was after you for killing his father, I only wanted to prevent him from hurting you. I pretendend to cooperate…"

"And a hell of a good job you've done!" Oliver kept on hitting him.

"I'm sorry. You have every right to hurt me, I deserve it. I have hurt you so many times in the past. I'm sorry."

Oliver prepared to throw another punch, but a very strong hand stopped his arm. He turned towards the interrupter and saw Leroy Gibbs.

"I think that's enough." The gray-haired man grabbed Oliver's arm.

A black-haired woman emerged from the darkness and adressed Oliver.

"You might have not noticed me before, but I was on the helicopter with you. Abby Sciuto, nice to meet you. I work with if you don't mind, I will tend to Malcolm here, which you have done a 'great job' of hurting very much, which, according to my rules, is NEVER cool."

Oliver stepped away then spoke to Gibbs. "She's a force to reckon with."

"You bet she is." Gibbs smirked

Author's note 2: Yeah i did bring NCIS into this, guest starring. Enjoy!


	8. Very dark Dark Archer

Secret Weapon.

Chapter 8: Very dark Dark Archer.

 **Author's note:** Hi, thanks for reading! Another wild one out there! Reviews welcome, as always. I love you people!"

Warnings/ flavour: Some violence, some humour, hope you enjoy!

XxXxXxX

 _Lian Yu, several weeks after the island's explosion._

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was always a man of few words. So was Malcolm Merlyn. Abby approached the Dark Archer. "Um, Malcolm, you better talk to my boss there, cause he needs intel on what is going on, and he is not one to wait for too long. Not one to piss off. And don't address him as Leroy. " She grew slihtly out of breath. Malcolm found her entire demeanr very endearing.

"Understood. Abby, is it? You don't mind if I call you by your first name?"

"No, no, only Gibbs is touchy this way, Don't tell him I said that."

Malcolm smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. Just make sure Oliver does not disturb us while I talk to your boss."

"Granted." Abby turned to the Green Arrow.

"Agent Gibbs!" Malcolm called out as he approached the man. "I think, given the enemies we're likely to face very soon, we better discuss strategy.

"I agreee," Gibbs replied. "And you better have some ideas to offer, because I'm not about to risk Abby's life just to help you."

Malcolm nodded. "I have ideas. First of them is, we get to the bunker. The people we're are lethal. You and Oliver have weapons, I take it."

Gibbs nodded.

"I have more weapons at the bunker."

"Well, then, let's get there ASAP. Lead the way." Gibbs said.

Malcolm run on ahead, while Gibbs, Abby and Oliver followed.

"So what do we have at our disposal?" Gibbs asked as they entered.

"Ms Sciuto's laptop, explosives for us, and the guns you brought. Also, two bows, if Oliver remembered to take his."

"I did," The Green Arrow growled.

"Well, it's the first time I'll be going into battle with mixed bullets and arrows, but I've been through weirder things. Abby, you ready?" Gibbs asked.

"Ready, boss," Abby exclaimed, turning her laptop on.

Oliver and Malcolm took out their bows.

"Way to bring bows to what I suspect might be a gunfight," Gibbs said, checking his gun.

"You'd be amazed at what one can do with a bow," Malcolm said.

"Good luck, you two," Gibbs said as they heard Cayden's and Chase's voices outside the door.

Oliver started towards it, but Malcolm stopped him.

"Let me, Ollie."

The boy choked at the entendre.

"If I were you, I'd listen to him!" Gibbs whispered, retreating back into the darkness of the bunker, dragging Oliver with him.

"Adrian, hello.", Malcolm said, taking a firmer grasp on his bow.

"Hi, Merlyn," Adrian growled. "Who's there with you?"

"Noone," Malcolm lied, feigning a casual tone. "You warned me not to have guests. It could be risky."

Gibbs stifled a chuckle.

"Well, it would. So you mind if we come in?" Chase asked.

"Not at all."

Gibbs pushed Oliver away as Abby grabbed her laptop and they all withdrew into the basement, leaving just Malcolm there.

"What do you want with me, Adrien?" The Dark Archer asked.

"Nothing much. Jut your head on a stick."

"And why would you want that? I'm sure Cayden here is going to vouch for me, and eager to come back to Star City."

"I need to interfere or they will kill Malcolm." Oliver whispered.

"Nope," Gibbs hissed back, his military background and strateggical set of mind kicking in. "Merlyn is playing the long game."

"I love the long game," Abby murmured. "And I'm about to play some long game of my own." She opened her laptop.

"You do know Adrian here is only using you?" Malcolm asked Cayden.

"How so?"

"Well, I'm certain he has a plane prepared, to leave this sorry place, abandon you here with me, while he gets free and clear and then leaves us fresh for the picking by the police, FBI, CIA, SWAT, whatever, while he goes free and clear. If you don't believe me, go and search the most remote area on this island and I bet you will find an aircraft there, or any other means of escape."

Cayden stared at Adrian, suspicion painted on his face, then ran off. Chase right on his heels.

"Long game, like I said," Gibbs told Oliver.

"And now, I do my hacking thing," Abby chuckled, while you and my boss converse."

Gibbs turned towards Malcolm.

"I get your strategy and you'll reimburse me for my chopper, Merlyn, if those fools out there blow it up."

"Guaranteed, provided you get me off this island."

Oliver stared daggers at him.

"No need to stare, I have to get access to my funds, which I can't do from here, it being a deserted island and all!"

"Which you left me stranded on, years ago!" Oliver shouted.

"While you figure this out, I think I'll follow whatsteirnames with my gun, potentially preventing them from destroying my chopper," Gibbs said as he ran out of the bunker.

"And I think I might be of help with accessing your accounts, Malcolm. Cause I have done my special Abby magic and have access to Internet now, So, welll, unless you are too secretive?"

Malcolm sighed and gave her the access code to one of his accounts.

"I take it you know how to make the transfer to Gibbs and not traceable to me?"

"Um,yeah, I'm accesing it now, entering the average sum for a chopper... But maybe you want to wait, in case Gibbs manages to get thhem-" Abby was interrupted by the sound of and explosion. "Oh." She hit enter on the transfer.

Her phone chirped. She turned it on in loud mode.

"The idiots blew the thing up, trying to shoot each other!" Came Gibbs's voice. "Now Cayden is chasing me. "I'm not going to lead him to where you are. Switch to commlinks, NOW!"

Malcolm and Oliver put theirs on as Abby stayed on loudspeaker.

"Boss, I think it's best you talk to Oliver, he has been on the island the longest, or Malcolm, he's been stranded here after Chase made mush of it!"

"Well, the better bet is if I speak to Malcolm then! He knows the after-mush landscape better!"

Abby did as she was told.

"Well, where do I go, Merlyn?" Gibbs demanded.

"There is another bunker, a former prison. You can hunker there for now. It has commlink secure connection and wifi inside. Turn to your right, then go straight on. It's a gray building, you won't miss it, just outrun Cayden enough so he can;t trace you there!"

Gibbs ran as fast as he could. "I see it"

"Ok, you'll have to enter a code: 8971"

"Done," Gibbs said.

"Now, close the door and don't let anyone in unless it is one of us. Stay on commlinks. Phone might be too loud."

"Roger,"Gibbs followed the instructions. "How long until you get here? I think I managed to dodge Cayden."

"We are on our way, just stay put."

"I did something very naughty, Malcolm," Abby piped up in a shy voice.

"What?"

"Um, Cayden has this app in his smartwatch and I hacked it, so I can trace him. With my laptop, and my tablet."

"You have a tablet as well as a laptop?" Malcolm exclaimed, getting slightly confused.

"Well I like to be double-prepared," Abby smiled. "Also, a tablet is handier!

"We can discuss technology later, perhaps?" Oliver griped. "After we catch the bastard!"

"No need to get all grumpy, Mr Queen," Abby mumbled.

They all broke into a run.

Malcolm was faster than each of them. He felt his League training kicking in as Abby shouted out instructions.

"Right, left, forward, right again!"

"Good job, Abby," Malcolm shouted back as he noticed Cayden and jumped him.

"You don't go any further than that!" Malcolm exclaimed as he dropped Cayden with one punch of his fist.

They made their way to the place Gibbs was at.

The marine opened the door for them. Abby ran up to hug Gibbs.

When Malcolm and Oliver turned around, Cayden was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Malcolm exclaimed in frustration.

"I guess you didn't punch hard enough," Oliver mocked.

"Well, you were right behind me, so you could have punched him again, or did you suddenly turn into a wallflower before we arrived in a place where there are actual walls?" Malcolm spat in a venomous tone.

"Well, sorry for trusting in the Dark Archer's combat skills. But then again, maybe I shouldn't have. Many of the duels I've had wih you prove they are overrated."

Malcolm's tone turned very low and vulnerable. "Oliver, have you ever entertained the thought I did not want to actually hurt you when we duelled?

"Which duel do you mean?"

"The second one, after I knew who you were." Malcolm lowered his head. "I once told you that I thought of you as a son, Oliver. The night Nyssa burned the Deamon's Head ring. And despite the fact I threatened you then, threw in with Damien Dahrk, kidnapped your son… I still... " Malcolm broke off. "I did not really want to hurt you. I'm sorry, Oliver. I'd felt like you betrayed me. I let my anger get the best of me. I shouldn't have."

"Well, you did come to our aid when Dahrk attempted to nuke the world."

"It's the least I could have done."

"Looks like they're about to mend fences," Abby whispered to Gibbs.

"Hold your horses, Abbs," Gibbs whispered back," You never know with warriors like them."

"Okay," Abby said.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you, Malcolm," Oliver sighed. "You throw in with bad guys only to turn against them. You hurt the people you love only to sacrifice for them, like you did for Thea."

"I really am not sure how to respond to this, Oliver. Let me try. I guess I'm... complicated?"

Oliver broke into a laugh. He found Malcolm's attempt at humor disarming. "Alright, let's find a way to get off this damn island!

"Well, given the fact my chopper just exploded..." Gibbs griped.

"And given the fact none of you thought to take a fully charged satphone with you?"

Abby took one out of her bag and waved it at Gibbs.

"Guess who is about to call ARGUS to get us a ride outta here?"

Gibbs went up to her and hugged her. "One of the reasons I adore you, Abbs!"

"I think I'm about to fall in love with her too," Oliver said as she dialed.

"You'll need to wait in line. Besides, don't you have a wife and a son waiting at home? Malcolm smirked.

"I heard that, boys!" Abby exclaimed. And I'm waiting to be on the line with Lyla Diggle, so, behave! You're getting the Gibbs glare anyway."

"Is this something to fear?" Malcolm asked Oliver, then Gibbs stared at him.

"Okay, it is something to fear. Don't stare at me like this again," Malcolm said to Gibbs.

"While we wait as Abby makes the call, might i venure an attempt at using your bow?" Gibbs asked.

"Be my guest," Malcolm responded as he handed Gibbs his weapon. "What would you like to shoot at?"

"A branch of this lonely tree there, if you don't mind? Not many targets to choose from here."

"Have at it, Gibbs."

"Okay," Gibbs said, aimed and hit the mark perfectly.

"Congratulations," Malcolm commented. "You really are a master marksman."

"I might be, but so are you Malcolm, from what I've heard. The famous or infamous Dark Archer."

"Infamous. I haven't had the best reputation in recent years, to say the least."

"Well, reputations are overrated. I tend to make up my own mind, after I meet the individual in question." He handed Malcolm his bow back. "So can I dare you to hit the same branch I just did?"

Malcolm took the bow and shot his arrow which hit right where Gibbs's had, splitting it in two.

"Well, colour me impressed," Gibbs said." Wouldn't ever want to be on the opposite side of that bow of yours."

Malcolm smiled. "I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of your rifle. You were a marine sniper, before you went to work for NCIS? Best of the best."

"I guess the news from Washington spreads fast to Star City."

"We keep tabs on politics and the millitary. And aliens, sometimes."

"Well, we live in a curious period in history. And I hope you don't hold the fact I'm a sniper against me, given Deadshot's assassination attempt on you years ago."

"No," Malcolm said. "You use your skills for good, He was a gun for hire. Still is, for what I know. So, do not even dare compare yourself to him. You are a hero. _Semper fidelis._ "

"I won't," Gibbs laughed warmly, moved by what Malcolm said. " _Semper fidelis,"_ he echoed.

"Oliver," Abby whispered to the Green Arrow. "I think what we are witnessing here is a bromance developing. Come on!" She nudged him. "Get on board! Gibbs and the Dark Archer, I'm rooting for that team!"

"I'm rooting for the team who will get us off the island," Oliver griped.

"Well, Lyla Diggle is calling me now! Lyla, we need a plane here asap. Be prepared to leave us at a remote location in Star City." Abby shouted.

"Okay, we'll be where u are asap, like u said, just keep your phone on so we're able to track you! Do not stray from your exact location, just in case. Say hi to Gibbs! ETA is a few fours."

"Granted! Call me when you're here!"

"Okay!" Abby disconnected, then conveyed Lyla's greetings to Gibbs.

Oliver just shrugged, getting increasingly grumpy.

"Oliver Queen clearly has no love lost for you," Gibbs said.

"Well, where do I start with reasons why he might feel this way," Malcolm sighed."I caused his father to die on this island, caused Oliver to be stranded here for five years, then amost got the boy killed yet again, then threw in with his enemies a few times for misguided purposes, and still, he came here to rescue me. So if you're looking for a hero, there is one, right there, talking to Abby."

"Well, I know you almost sacrificed your life here. Stepping on a mine for your daughter is no mean feat. Oliver let that fact slip on pur ay here."

"I do not think about it like this. She deserved every sacrifice from me. I was a lousy father, both to her and Tommy."

"Your son, who died in the Undertaking." Gibbs nodded.

"Well, at least it wasn't for nothing. He died protecting the woman he loved. Something I have failed in. My wife,Rebecca died, when I should have been the one to protect her."

"So did mine," Gibbs said. "A gangster killed her."

"It never seems to get easy, does it? Even after years have passed, it feels as if it happened yesterday."

"Nope, it doesn't get easier, not in my experience." Gibbs sighed.

"I killed the wrong man because I thought he had killed her, but looking back, having become the infamous Malcolm Merlyn, who is known for taking hundreds of lives in Rebbecca's name, in the Undertaking… It did not change a thing, Gibbs."

"It didn't help you get rid of the pain?"

"No, not an ounce of pain."

"Well, I killed my wife's and daughter's murderer, and still, it didn't help me get rid of the pain." Gibbs said.

Malcolm sighed. "I went on a rampage after my wife died. I joined the frikking League of Assassins. I learned cruelty, violence, I kept hurting the very people I should have protected. And they suffered because of it, in ways I could not have predicted. The best example of that is right here," Malcolm gestured at Oliver, standng in the distance.

"I caused his father to die, I caused Oliver to endure all the suffering he has been through since then. If it weren't for me, he'd be this innocent boy, spoiled, as many of them are, but still, innocent, happy. He would not have to witness most of his family, his girlfriend, his friends, die. And then it kept on coming, accummulating, I couldn't stop it!" Malcolm exclaimed. "One mistake after another, it was like..like an avalanche!" Malcolm's breath hitched.

"Well, you can't win with an avalanche,Gibbs said. "Just find the best place to cower. Then make your way form there. Leave the past in the past and make your way towards the future. It won't be easy. If any government agency besides Argus knew you were alive, you would have your work cut out for you."

"So, I'm not about to be hunted by NCIS?"

"I'd rather treat you as an asset than an enemy, Malcolm." Gibbs smiled. "No, you're not about to be hunted by us or Argus. Provided you promise me your cooperation."

"Granted," Malcolm nodded at the marine.

They heard the sound of a plane and Abby informed them the Argus team had arrived.

"Well, finally," Olliver griped again.

XxXxXxX

Malcolm entered the plane with Gibbs. "Am I to be arrested by Argus, Mrs Diggle?" He asked

"No you are not," Lyla said. "Mr Merlyn, Ms Sciuto informed me you are now an NCIS informant, therefore free of any persecution from our organisation."

"Glad to hear it," Malcolm said as he, Gibbs, Abby and Oliver strapped in.

"Star City it is, then," Lyla said.

"Thank you for what you did, Gibbs." Malcolm adressed the agent quietly.

"Well, ,as long as you coopeate, we're good."

"I shall"

" You have a place to live?" Gibbs ventured.

"I do. Will need a phone, though."

"Write down this address," Gibbs shoved a piece of paper at him. "Take Abby's satphone for now, We'll mail you a new burner phone. I don't think I need to tell you this but, well, stay off the grid, keep to yourself and don't get into trouble. Also, keep in touch with Oliver there, however much he may hate you. We all need him to deal with Cayden James."

"Certainly," Malcolm said.

Eventually, it was time to disboard.

Abby ran up to hug Malcolm. "Good luck, Malcolm and stay safe!"

Malcolm smiled at her cheerful tone. "You know I will and we will keep in touch. Your boss and I made a deal.!"

"Ohh, then I'm looking forward to it!" Abby exclaimed.

Malcolm walked away from the place the plane landed. He hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to his dingy appartment in Star City.

XxXxXxX

Author's note 2: Here it is, next chapter of Secret weapon, NCIS guest starring. Humor and action, as promised. Review and gimme ur opinions!

"The bastard escapes once again!"

"Sometimes, you have to let go, Malcolm" Gibbs said.

"I shall, for now, Agent Gibbs."

"The best choice, Mr Merlyn. If you need our help, don't hesitate to ask."

Author's note 2: Here it is, Arrow and NCIS combined. Loved writing it.

Enjoy and review people!


	9. New Lease On Life

Secret Weapon:

Chapter 9:

A new lease on life

Author's note: I am back with a surprising chapter. Themes: mostly angst, potentially action. Oliver and Malcolm fans, prepare to be entertained!

XxXxXxX

 _Star City, Malcolm Merlyn's apartment, late at night._

Malcolm entered the dingy thing he'd come to call his abode for almost a year now. Well, it was better than being stranded on the island. He put away his bow in the small walk-in closet.

"Merlyn," came a voice from the darkest spot in the room as he returned.

"Oliver. To what do I owe the pleasure"? Malcolm said, hiding his surprise. He poured Oliver and himself a glass of Scotch. "We've just seen each other."

"I followed you here with a proposition, Malcolm. One I've discussed with the head of Argus," the Green Arrow said as Malcolm handed him his drink.

"Well, if you expect me to become a member of some new version of the Suicide Squad, it is a firm NO."

"I'm not suggesting that. Among other things, _I_ want to know the deal with you and Adrian Chase."

"No, there was no deal," Malcolm continued bitterly. "I was a tool in Chase's game, discarded when no longer useful. A tool used to hurt the ones I love. He drugged me into cooperation. Poetic justice, given I've drugged my own daughter."

"You think he used Vortura."

"I cannot be certain of it. Vortura makes the person completely forget what they have done, forever. But I had these… flickers of consciousness, very confusing. I hated what I was doing, but I could not stop it, as if I were some wind-up robot. So I'm not sure if it was Vortura or something else. I regained most of the memories. It's what allowed me to escape and help you. So maybe it is some new kind of Vortura, modified somehow, like the new Count Vertigo did with the original formula. Or a different drug altogether. I don't know how I managed to recover. Perhaps it is my League training. They'd teach us about poisons, even to use the practice of kings of old: dosing themselves with minuscule amounts so that when someone tried to kill them with a major dose, they would have developed immunity, giving them better chances of surviving."

Oliver nodded. "Would you be willing to come with me to Argus headquarters, tell them what you told me? They could help you remember."

Malcolm balked. "Help me remember, as in, pump me full of some memory-enhancing drugs, which would turn my brain to mush?"

"No, no," Oliver said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "Lyla is not like the previous directors of Argus. I've spoken to her about it. You would get hypnosis sessions to help you remember, some mild sedatives if you need them. Nothing to make your brain turn to mush. And I would be there with you, not all the time, due to my mayoral and other duties, but most of it. And when not me, someone else who will make sure you're safe. Malcolm, Chase may or may not have died in the helicopter explosion, but Cayden James is still out there, a threat to this city, potentially the entire world. You may have heard something he accidentally let slip, some clue as to what he intends. A name of an associate, something."

The boy ran his hand through his hair in frustration, then took a sip of his drink. "Malcolm, please, I need you on this. We managed to defeat Ra's Al Ghul and the Alpha Omega Virus years ago. Please, help me," he pleaded. "The Argus aircraft is waiting right where we left you."

Malcolm remembered their cooperation, their trust. He also remembered the boy rejecting him afterwards. His mind came back to the night of the Ring burning, but the anger he'd felt then had evaporated, or at least lessened, long ago. Despite his declaration then, he STILL thought of the boy as a son.

Malcolm downed the rest of his Scotch in one gulp. "All right, I will do this for you. I only need several minutes to pack."

"Of course; I'll alert Lyla we will soon be there." Oliver started dialling.

Malcolm opened his walk-in closet, grabbed a travelling bag and packed his bow and arrows, a few items of clothing, some other essentials.

XxXxXxX

They made their way to the aircraft. Lyla welcomed them at the entrance.

Malcolm half-expected to be handcuffed on the spot, but she just smiled at him with kindnes. "I'm glad you decided to help us, Mr Merlyn. We sure do need your cooperation. The plane is about to lift off, so just place your bag under the seat and strap in. Um, and here's a few powerbars and some water for both of you." She shoved some colorfully-wrapped candy and bottles into Oliver's hands, then turned on her heel and marched to the cockpit.

"Wait, whaa-" Oliver struggled not to drop it all, looked at Malcolm with a desperate expression.

"What are you staring at me for?" Malcolm exclaimed, then rolled his eyes and opened his bag. "Just shove the stuff inside, we were instructed to strap in, remember?"

Oliver dropped the items inside with a sigh of relief, then sat and strapped in.

The plane took off.

They were alone in the cabin. Malcolm leaned back a little, enjoying the sound of the engines humming as the plane performed its manouvers. It was a strange kind of melody. Yet, he liked it.

Suddenly he felt a gentle, yet firm grasp on his left arm, right where the wrist joined his prosthethic hand.

"Does it still hurt?" Oliver asked.

"Well, it's manageable. The wonders of modern medicine." He tried to make light of it, but Oliver wasn't fooled and surprised him by what he said.

"I'm sorry I did this to you, Malcolm." He took a while to think about what he wanted to say next. "It was all so chaotic then, with Thea's life on the line, Nyssa's hate for you, me getting angry... But, um, I never meant to kill you, and the severing of your hand was the best option under the circumstances, even though you so adamantly asked me to actually kill you."

"Why didn't you?"

It took a moment for Oliver to say what he wanted. "It's because I remember. I remember the man you were when I was a child. Before what happened to Rebecca. And because, throughout all the years you've hurt me, there were still glimpses of this kind man I had known back when I was a child. Yeah, there was this bastard I've grown to hate, but there was also someone hidden within this evil shell. Someone who could still be kind and good. Most importantly of all, you are and will forever be my family."

Malcolm was tempted to turn away, school his features into not showing any emotion, but he could not, would not go back to his ice-cold persona. He did not attempt to hide the fact he actually did tear up.

"Oliver," he started in a very hoarse voice. "We have shaken hands when we allied previously, but well, those alliances haven't proven to last long. Some ended up to be epic failures. So, perhaps, let's try something new."

"Wha-?" Oliver began, but couldn't finish because he found himself drawn into a friendly embrace. He was very surprised, but the warmth radiating from the man reminded him of the happy days of his childhood. He returned it. "Malcolm. I will be there for you when you cooperate with Argus. And like I said, you _are_ family."

"I trust you, Oliver," Malcolm said as they disentangled. They weren't ones to get too touchy-feely, so they sat together quietly until Oliver dozed off.

Malcolm spent some time thinking. Here he was on good terms with Oliver, away from his dingy apartment, safe from living out a nightmare of helplessness and regret. He was about to be useful again, perhaps find some way to remedy his mistakes. A new lease on life, indeed.

XxXxXxX

 _The cockpit._

Diggle came back in from the cabin. "Um, Lyla, either I was hallucinating or I just saw Oliver and Merlyn hugging."

Lyla laughed. "Oh, you men! Don't get paranoid, dear. They need to mend fences if they are to work together on helping us deal with Cayden James."

"I guess you're right. But, um, after having watched them at each other's throats for years, it just felt weird."

"Don't forget, they are practically family. I've done my research. Be glad they are working out their issues. Now, strap back in and let's get this party started." Lyla smirked in amusement.

XxXxXxX

Author's note 2: Well, there you have it! Some Malcolm and Oliver bonding:)

(Reviewer MW, I know you wanted it and I had it planned already, so hope you enjoyed!) Also, Lyla and Diggle, people!

Some humor, some angst! Enjoy and review! Pardon me for typos. I tend to think faster than I write!


	10. Informant

Secret Weapon

Chapter 10:

Informant

Author's note: Here we are, back after a rather long break.

XxXxXxX

 _Aircraft to a remote ARGUS location._

Malcolm managed to get a little sleep, but it was an uneasy slumber. After he woke up, he just sat there staring into the distance, considering his prospects. Despite Oliver and Lyla's assurances, he couldn't be sure about what ARGUS had in store for him. Were they really going to treat the infamous Dark Archer humanely? Or would they throw him into a dungeon, submit him to gruelling interrogations until he was completely broken?

Was it even of any importance? Malcolm sighed. What exactly did he have going for him in this life?

Being stranded on the wasteland that was now Lian Yu as a form of the Universe's twisted punishment for what he had done to Oliver? Staring at the wall in his dingy Star City apartment with no purpose whatsoever, contemplating and reliving each of his multiple failures and losses, forever a hunted man, universally hated by practically everyone in the world, including his own daughter?

Malcolm had severed ties with most of his associates at one point or another after he helped Oliver defeat Damien Dahrk. He was too busy drinking himself into a stupor to keep his plans going. Too busy feeling depressed and hurt by Oliver's rejecton, by the fact his every effort eventually ended in defeat. Well, it was true, wasn't it? The Undertaking, forging a relationship with Thea, becoming Resh, trying to get Oliver to forgive him, trying to build something out of the nothingness that Rebecca's murder had left him with.

Years, decades had gone by, and the same scenario repeated itself, only in different variations. Just as he was about to achieve his goal, or right after he had achieved it, everything came crashing down. So eventually, he became paranoid, and, somewhat subconsciously, distanced himself from many of the people he'd cared about the most.

Such was the case with Emily Carson and her associates, mercenaries for hire. They'd become his employees and friends shortly before the Undertaking, and she'd become his chance at actually having a lovelife again. But he had pushed her away, kept the four of them at arm's length. He kept everything at arm's length. Love, friendship… Perhaps he'd subconsciously been protecting them?

Malcolm was surprised by the chaotic, conflicted thoughts in his mind. He knew many of those he pushed away were still loyal to him. Emily, Sabrina, Kevin, Tigressa. All he had to do was just pick up a burner phone and call. And yet, he did not. Instead, he had packed a bag for Lian Yu. Now, only recently, he'd packed a bag for an ARGUS base, where who-knows-what awaited him.

Malcolm leaned back in his seat and sighed again. Why was he even doing this, why was he still trying? Why didn't he just… give up? Well, he couldn't. It wasn't in his nature. He had to keep on trying, keep on fighting, whatever the odds.

He turned and looked at Oliver, the boy's features so relaxed in his sleep. It reminded Malcolm of the time when Oliver was just a child, before the ravages of life had put him through so much pain. Of the times he had played babysitter when Robert and Moira wanted a night to themselves.

Wonderful days, which, considering all they'd been through, seemed kind of unreal.

He felt a shift in the aircraft's altitude, so he nudged the boy awake gently.

"Um, is there something wrong?" Oliver mumbled.

"No, I think we're about to land," Malcolm said softly, shaking away his reverie.

Oliver straightened himself in his seat.

The plane touched the tarmac soon afterwards. Malcolm grabbed his bag and exited with Oliver. A group of armed agents stood facing the vehicle. Lyla approached them and nodded. The men relaxed their stance. Lyla turned towards Malcolm.

"We'll take you to the main building now," she said.

Malcolm was allowed to leave his bag in private quarters, then he was escorted by two guards to a rather comfortable interrogation room, as far as such places go, anyway.

Lyla rejoined him soon and sat across the table from him, not saying a word.

In a situation such as this, Malcolm's typical strategy would be to wait for the other party to speak, but recent events hadn't exactly been conducive to him adhering to his usual rules, so he broke the silence first. "I'm surprised I'm not in chains, given the fact of me being a mass murderer and and assassin."

Lyla regarded him calmly. "Well, let's say I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Oliver has vouched for you, so has Agent Gibbs. You yourself have agreed to cooperate."

"And I stand by my word, Agent Diggl-"

"It's alright, you can call me Lyla, Malcolm."

The Dark Archer nodded.

Lyla continued. "My husband and I have thought of Oliver as family for years. And despite your... rocky history with Oliver, on some levels, he does think of you as family. He told me you've expressed the same sentiment. So, are you really willing to do whatever it takes to help your family, Malcolm?"

The Dark Archer met her gaze levelly. "I am. And I think I know where this question leads."

"Do tell." Lyla quirked an eyebrow.

"The conditions Oliver negotiated with you before he agreed to bring me in; that I wouldn't be put too much in in harm's way during the interrogation."

"Yes, and you won't, but it involves a lot of pain all the same." Lyla sighed. "The levels of which Oliver would not agree to for you."

"Well, if I may be frank, Lyla, I realize Cayden James is a major threat, perhaps the worst the world has had to face yet. If accessing my memory gives you a way to defeat him and his potential allies, I am willing to endure the suffering it entails." Malcolm paused and when he continued, his voice was quieter, with an undercurrent of not just steel, but titanium. "I don't want you to hold back in _any_ way when questioning me."

Lyla's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, are you telling me to-"

"Do _whatever_ it takes to get the information you need out of me," Malcolm finished her sentence.

Lyla looked away for a second, confused, then looked at him again. "Listen, um, I know you have your sources and you must have heard of the way ARGUS operated under Amanda Waller's leadership, but _I'm not her_. I don't condone her abuse of the 'end justifies the means' philosophy."

"I know that, and I did not mean to offend you," Malcolm replied. "But we are facing an impossible situation here. I'm not saying it will come to this, but if it does, if you are faced with a choice between my well-being and ending James' terror, make the right one. And make sure Oliver does not find out. It should be our secret."

Lyla ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "Fine," she sighed. "But. I insist on keeping it as humane as possible and will do my damnest to avoid causing you any permanent damage. You don't get to argue with me on this. Just know that if push comes to shove, I will do what's necessary."

"That's all I ask," Malcolm said.

"Alright. Now, my agents will escort you to your room to let you get settled. Oliver's waiting for you there. I need to readjust my strategy a little in view of our conversation, so I will be there in a few hours to collect you for our first session."

Malcolm nodded and exited her office.

Lyla leaned back in her chair with a tired sigh. Thoughts were racing each other in her head. She struggled to wrap her mind around what the Dark Archer had said. It was the first time she had a one-on-one conversation with the man she'd heard so much about from both John and Oliver, but, as always, she was determined to form her own opinions, based on her own observations.

What she had observed today and earlier on had really shocked her. Malcolm Merlyn, willing to give up his life to save his daughter, who had rejected him as a father, stepping on a mine to make sure she and everyone else got to live. And now, Malcolm Merlyn willing to sacrifice his very sanity to help save the world full of people who, if they knew he was alive, would kill him on the spot. Save the world which had condemned him forever. There was nothing in it for him.

Lyla knew how to read liars and she knew he had not lied to her. In her line of work, she had encountered a lot of monsters. Malcolm Merlyn was called just that by many people, but Lyla found that, despite his former actions, he did not fulfill the criteria for her definition of a monster.

She pressed a button on her phone to summon some of her agents and prepare a different interrogation strategy for the Dark Archer.

XxXxXxX

Malcolm was escorted to his quarters by two guards, who stationed themselves outside the room.

Oliver was already inside, just like Lyla had said.

"How was it?" Oliver asked when they were alone.

"Quite alright, Lyla is a professional and has explained what they need of me." Then Malcolm had to make up a white lie. "Don't worry, she doesn't intend to harm me."

"Still, it will hurt you."

"Well, mostly remembering what I've done wrong, but I am bound to remember it at some point anyway. So, I think it is best I do it when there is competent medical staff around to help me, instead of being caught unawares somewhere by myself."

"Yes, I guess it makes sense." Oliver nodded, but it was obvious from his expression he wasn't fully convinced.

Malcolm asked Oliver to pour him a glass of water as he unpacked his bag, more as a strategy to prevent the boy from asking any more questions than any feeling of thirst.

Soon, Lyla arrived for the Dark Archer. "Stay here, Ollie, okay? Call Felicity, update her on everything. We are just going to get Malcolm started on his sessions."

"Alright."

Lyla led Malcolm to a medical room, escorted by a few guards. He glanced at the equipment there with some trepidation, but managed not to let it show too much.

There were several more guards inside.

Lyla invited him to sit opposite her at a desk, switched on her laptop, then made a gesture to dismiss the guards.

She went up to the coffee machine. "How do you take yours, Malcolm?"

"Black."

She brought the mugs to the table. "I thought we should start with what you already remember. I will make notes, to catch any gaps, which we will address later." She also poured him some water. "So you don't get over-caffeinated."

He smiled as she sat down, then he took a sip of his water. The coffee was still too hot.

"I think it's best we start with how I first met Adrian Chase," Malcolm said and Lyla nodded, pushed the audio recorder closer to him, and began clicking away on her laptop.

Malcolm was surprised at how many of his memories returned. Perhaps it was a combination of the caffeine with being hydrated, after months of just scraping by on the island.

His breath hitched from time to time when he recalled the more monstrous things he did for Chase, the way he knew it had hurt Oliver. Lyla sensed these moments, let him pace himself. It was more like a therapy session than an interrogation. Up to a certain point.

Suddenly, Malcolm was hit by an avalanche of memories that didn't make any sense. They were like different versions of the same situation he thought to be true and all of them referred to the moments he had felt like he'd managed to overcome Chase's drugs and sabotage him. But what he saw now was quite the opposite. He saw himself perfoming each sick and twisted wish Chase and James had communicated to him, standing around like a mute robot when they laughed together at his illusion of free will, endless sessions to implant false memories in his head. He saw himself blindly following their orders, killing people with his bare hands. And all the while thinking he was doing something else.

"Oh, no," he whispered hoarsely.

"What is it?" Lyla asked with concern, seeing his distress.

He looked at her with panic in his gaze. His hands were trembling, so he balled them into fists, struggling to regain at least some of his composure. "Lyla, I don't think much of what i said to you just now is actually true, I..."

"What?"

Breathing became difficult for Malcolm. "False...m-memories, I think...Ah!" He started coughing and his head exploded with pain.

Lyla went up to him and led him to a bed.

"Malcolm, are you saying they implanted false memories in you?"

"I think so, yes," he panted. "Do you have something to counteract it? I- I don't know what they did, and what I'm remembering is so... jumbled. It's not anything the League ever used."

"Well I wanted our first session to be drug-free; I didn't dose you with anything," Lyla said, starting to panic herself. "Um, we have memory enhancing enzyme liquids we can inject you with, but we don't know what the substance you've been dosed with is, so it might be dangerous."

"I don't care, I just want it out of me, I want to know!" Malcolm gasped as he writhed on the bed.

Lyla stood up. "We'll make it right." She squeezed his arm reassuringly, trying to damp down her own panic. She pressed a button to summon some medical staff. "Uh, okay, I think the best thing to do is to perform some tests to see if any residue of what they dosed you with still remains. Drugs of such potency tend to penetrate not just blood but can stay in a number of tissues. Then we can give you a mild memory-enhancing potion, so you can make sense of this chaos."

Malcolm nodded. The nurses came in, took the samples they needed. Then, after they came up with the results, Lyla herself injected Malcolm with the memory-enhancing drug, combined with a mild sedative. She turned her voice recorder back on as Malcolm started to speak. It was a road through hell, but he did remember. Hours and hours went by.

Lyla hit pause on her recorder, noticing it was taking a huge toll on the Dark Archer. She injected him with a very mild calming potion, which also allowed him to function.

"We're done for now, Malcolm," she said. "We will analyse the information you gave me, and do our best to identify the drug Chase and James dosed you with. Now, just rest up and I will inform you of what I've learned as soon as I know."

Malcolm nodded and let the guards escort him to his room.

XxXxXxX

Malcolm entered the room, only to bump into Oliver who was waiting for him right by the door.

"How did it go?" he asked anxiously. "You look like hell, so forget about lying to me and saying it was peachy."

Malcolm was very much not in the mood for reliving this nightmare, so he went for truth combined with some white lies.

"Well, it was never going to be peachy. I remembered some things, but it was difficult. Oliver... Chase and James used some sort of drug on me which altered my memories. The real ones are coming in, probably because I'm no longer exposed to their drugs. Lyla is helping me, so do not go ballistic on her, it is all happening because of Chase. They took some blood samples, so it is going in a good direction."

"You are not well, Malcolm," Oliver said, in a worried tone.

"No I am not, but until we know what kind of drug Chase has pumped me with, we cannot proceed further."

"The interview with Lyla? How did it go?" Oliver asked.

"Surprisingly well, actually," Malcolm told another white lie. "For an ARGUS director, having to deal with the Dark Archer, whom her husband hates, she was very polite."

Oliver laughed. "You have a way with people, Malcolm. She does, also." Oliver led the Dark Archer to the kitchen table. "While you were being grilled by Lyla, I managed to score us a gourmet meal, combined with the best liquor, courtesy of ARGUS."

Malcolm was not much in the mood for gourmet meals after the memories the session had brought back, but the enticing smells of the food and Oliver's warm smile made him reconsider.

"I have other good news," the boy said. "Team Arrow and the New Team Arrow are all patrolling the city, so I'm free to stay here tonight. How about a little pyjama party?" Oliver asked with this puppy-like enthusiasm of his. Malcolm was beyond moved by the fact that given all the boy had been through, he'd retained this innocent, youthful optimism.

"Sure," Malcolm said and sat down to by far one of the best meals he'd ever had in his life. Then his mood turned into trickster mode. He had been through a traumatizing experience and decided he deserved some acting-out time. And who better to accompany him than Oliver Queen? "Oliver," he said in his most serious tone. "We have a problem."

"What is it?"

"It's really serious, I'm not even sure I should tell you." Malcolm went towards his luggage, started digging through his bag.

"Malcolm, what the heck?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Well, um, I'm ashamed to say this, but given the rush I was in when I was packing..." the Dark Archer suspended his voice in pretend-desperation.

"What did you forget to pack?" Oliver asked. "An extra set of arrows, some weapons?"

Oliver took a stressful gulp of his drink.

"No." Malcolm was still digging through his bag.

"Well, tell me what he hell it is, Merlyn!"

"Um, you suggested we should have a pajama party and, I-"he suspended his voice, then took out a perfectly good set of PJs. "I thought I forgot my pajamas!" He wasn't able to prevent himself from laughing any longer. "But I've managed to find them!"

Oliver snorted out his drink through his nostrils. "Oh, you evil bastard!" He attempted to chase Malcolm around the room, but they were both laughing too hard to keep it up. They ended up collapsing on the couch.

"You're just mocking me," Oliver exclaimed, in a slightly drunken, accusatory tone. "And not acting quite like yourself."

"I'm not, Oliver" Malcolm said, sincerely. "It's just… We are facing a difficult time, and well, some humor could be good for us! So get on board! Put on your PJs and let's enjoy the evening!"

Oliver was too drunk to protest. "Okay, you change in the bathroom, me in the spare bedroom."

They met in the salon. The Green Arrow strolled up to the Dark Archer.

"Well, there is just salad left and I'm still hungry," he griped.

"Well, it is on ARGUS' dime and I am helping them take down one of the most wanted criminals on their list," Malcolm said in that famous haughty tone of his. "They shouldn't mind a little nighttime food delivery."

"You can't be serious," Oliver protested as Malcolm ventured into the corridor and addressed one of the guards. "Hi, hello," he said, doing an awesome job of not slurring his words. "Me and my associate here ran out of food and drink. We're here on a very important mission for Director Diggle. Would one of you oblige us?"

"Um, sure! Just tell us what you need? Delivery will be on the way shortly."

Malcolm told him what they needed while Oliver just stood there, trying not to choke with laughter. He realised this was the Malcolm from before Rebecca died, the Malcolm with a wicked sense of humor.

The other, younger soldier ran off, then arrived with the food and drink soon after. Malcolm accepted it with perfect politeness, as if he was wearing a suit instead of pyjamas.

"Merlyn, I heard it before from Felicity and other reputable sources: you're crazy! No, make it stark raving mad!" Oliver shouted when they entered the room.

"I've been called worse." Malcolm shrugged and took an olive from one of the plates, pouring them both a tumbler of Scotch. "Loosen up a little, Oliver. Like I said, I do think we could use it."

"Well, it is a six-star meal. Pyjamas as the required attire. Why the heck not," Oliver said and started on his food.

They ended up talking about the highlights of Oliver's childhood, enjoying the food and the drinks. The Green Arrow was surprised at the level of Malcolm's sense of humor, at the sharpness of the man's memories of Oliver as a boy.

Oliver also remembered with increased clarity, the man Malcolm had been before Rebecca died. Always kind, ready to joke around, smiling, happy.

Malcolm loved pulling pranks, had a knack for making a boring party actually fun for everyone.

Oliver got this bittersweet feeling again, wished that the time they wasted fighting each other had been spent actually being like family again.

He mentioned it to Malcolm, while he poured them another drink.

"Well, to paraphrase one of very wise contemporary philosophers: 'let's focus on the now,'" the Dark Archer said.

"I'll definitely drink to that," Oliver responded as they clinked their glasses.

XxXxXxX

Author's note 2:

Yes, Malcolm and Oliver got drunk together. Humor, as I promised and some angst. Enjoy and review, another chappy in the works!

Love you!

Me enjoying all of it!


End file.
